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.
DeMarcus Cousins is now a three-time All-Star Photo: NBAE
by Charlie O. Mallonee
Sacramento — The NBA announced the reserve members of the 2017 Western Conference All-Star Team on Thursday and DeMarcus Cousins was named to the squad. This is the third straight season that Cousins has been selected to the All-Star team.
For the Kings star center, this has to be some welcome news in what has been a chaotic, frustrating and often disappointing season. Cousins has had to carry the team at times and now that Rudy Gay has been lost for the year, the big man they call “Boogie” is going to have the burden of carrying the team on his shoulders for the rest of the season. The recognition of his talent and production should serve as some positive motivation for Cousins.
The numbers tell the story of the selection
Cousins is averaging a career-high 28.0 points per game
He has a 44.9 Field Goal %, 36.5 3-point % and a 77.3 Free Throw %
The big man averages 10.3 rebounds per game which means he is averaging a double-double for the season
Add in 4.4 assists, 1.4 steals and 1.2 blocks in 34.4 minutes per game and looking at that stat line you can see that an All-Star selection was more than appropriate
Cousins and Russell Westbrook are the only two players in “the association” averaging at least 28 points, 10 rebounds and four assists.
Cousins has royal company
Cousins is the first Kings player to be selected to an All-Star team for three consecutive years since Peja Stojakovic was chosen as an All-Star from 2002-2004. He is the sixth player in the Sacramento era of the Kings to named as an All-Star. The other Sacramento Kings to be selected as All-Stars were Mitch Richmond (6), Chris Webber (4) and Peja Stojakovic (3). A total of 23 players have been selected as All-Stars in franchise history which includes teams playing as the Kings and Royals.
Wade blows slam dunk but gets the foul versus the Kings
by Charlie O. Mallonee
Controversy reigned in the Kings 102-99 loss to the Bulls on Saturday night in Chicago. With 17.1-seconds left in the game, Dwyane Wade stripped Garrett Temple of the ball and broke for his basket. Wade was trailed by Kings defenders. The superstar guard blew his slam dunk opportunity which would have given his team the lead. As Wade came back down to the floor, he was brushed by the Kings DeMarcus Cousins.
Cousins was called for a foul. Wade was awarded two free throws. He converted 1-of-2 free throws to give Chicago a 100-99 lead with 14-seconds to go in the game.
The Kings turned the ball over on their possession and the Bulls scored to put the game in the win column for Chicago.
On Sunday, the NBA released the Last Two Minute Officiating Report. At the 14-second mark the report reads: Cousins (SAC) has his hand on Wade’s (CHI) back while he is airborne, but he does not extend his arm and push him and the contact does not affect the shot attempt. The report notes a foul was called. The conclusion of the review is listed as IC – incorrect.
No one who was watching the game and who then saw the replays has any disagreement with the report’s conclusion. The only problem with the report is there is no remedy for the Kings. The result is really a statement to the Kings by the NBA of – “Hey SAC, our bad!” When your team is 16-27 and has lost five games in a row, that does not mean anything to the team … really.
Update on Rudy Gay
Rudy Gay unable to walk after going down in the Pacers game
Rudy Gay will go under the knife in New York City on Monday, January 23 to have his ruptured left Achilles tendon repaired. The surgery will take place at the Hospital for Special Surgery and be performed by Dr. Martin O’Malley.
Gay suffered the season-ending injury in the third quarter of the game against Indiana on Wednesday in Sacramento.
The victim of Cousins wrath after the loss in Chicago Photo: Sean Highkin TheAthleticChi
by Charlie O. Mallonee
The Sacramento Kings and Chicago Bulls came into the game in Chicago on Saturday night looking to end losing streaks. The Kings had lost four games in a row and the Bulls had lost two consecutive games. Both teams had been beaten soundly on Friday night.
The Kings and Bulls played hard and gave their full 48-minute efforts in a game that ended with a controversial call – if you are a Sacramento fan. When the final buzzer sounded, the Bulls (22-23) had won the game 102-99 and ended their losing streak. The Kings (16-27) went to their locker room frustrated and the owners of a five-game losing streak – their longest of the season.
You call that a foul?
With 15-seconds on the clock and the game tied at 99-99, Dwyane Wade was able to steal the ball from the Kings Garrett Temple and start a fast break for the basket. Wade went up for an uncontested dunk and hit the back of the iron. DeMarcus Cousins was trailing Wade and may (emphasis on may) have brushed Wade on his way down after missing the dunk. The officials blew the whistle and called a foul on Cousins. Basically, the referees could not believe that superstar guard would miss the breakaway slam unless he was fouled.
Multiple video replays showed that there was no foul on the play but the play was not eligible for video review. The call stood. Wade made 1-of-2 free throws and the Bulls took a 100-99 lead.
Dwyane Wade scored 30 points against the Kings Photo: NBAE
The final 14-seconds
The Kings began working a play following a timeout when Taj Gibson was able to reach in and steal the ball from Cousins. The Bulls were able to score when Michael Carter-Williams put the ball through the hoop on an Alley Oop layup with an assist from Wade that gave the Bulls a 102-99 lead.
Garrett Temple brought the ball into the frontcourt quickly for the Kings and put up a 41-foot desperation shot that banged off the rim as the buzzer sounded. The game ended with the Bulls winning 102-99.
DeMarcus Cousins was a one-man wrecking crew
Cousins scored a game-high 42 points and pulled down 14 rebounds to record his 23rd double-double game of the season. Cousins scored those 42 points on just 28 shots. He converted 8-of-9 free throws and hit 2-of-7 shots from 3-point range. He sank those 3-pointers on back-to-back possessions late in the fourth quarter to keep his team in the game. Cousins had three assists and two blocked shots while committing only two turnovers in the contest. The Kings big man was their only player to score in double figures in the game.
Cousins left it all on the court in Chicago Photo: NBAE
To no one’s surprise it was the Wade and Butler show for the Bulls
Dwyane Wade led the Bulls scoring attack with 30 points. Wade did not have a great night shooting as he went 9-for-20 from the field. He did go an impressive 12-for-15 from the free throw line. Wade also added four assists, four blocked shots and three steals in the game. The superstar guard sent out a tweet to Bulls fans apologizing for their poor play in Atlanta on Friday night. Wade has nothing to apologize for after the way he played against the Kings on Saturday night.
Jimmy Butler scored 23 points and dished out seven assists against the Kings. He spent most of the game acting as the playmaker. Butler shot 6-for-14 from the floor and was a perfect 10-for-10 from free throw line. Butler and Wade went a combined 22-for-25 from the charity stripe.
Coach Joerger’s postgame analysis
Good game
Really proud of our guys
Thought we played our tails off for 48-minutes
(team) made major progress
(We have to) keep working hard; we’re going to figure it out; work it out
DeMarcus had a heck of a game
(In this game) Too much Dwyane Wade and Jimmy Butler
On the foul call on Cousins as Wade missed the dunk: Live ball – three on one
Kings needed another double figured scorer
If one other Kings player had scored in double figures, the final outcome might have been different. Nine other players participated in the game besides Cousins but none scored in double figures. Afflalo posted nine points and Collison, Temple and Lawson each scored eight points. With Rudy Gay sidelined for the rest of the season, one of the Sacramento players has to step up and become a double-figure scorer. More 3-point production could help that situation.
Where’s Rondo?
Rajon Rondo’s time in the Windy City may be coming to a close. Rondo played just six-minutes against the Kings on Saturday distributing four assists and scoring no points. The point guard who was so productive in Sacramento is finding it rough sledding in Chicago. Do not be surprised if Rondo is wearing a different uniform by the trade deadline in February because his time with the Bulls seems to be over.
Up next on the schedule
The Kings travel to Detroit where they will play the Pistons on Monday night. The Kings last win came over Detroit in Sacramento. The Kings will be looking to pick up their first win on the eight-game road trip versus the Pistons.
The Bulls will return to action on Tuesday in Orlando against the Magic.
The Sacramento Kings started an eight game road trip in Memphis on Friday night with a 107-91 loss to the Grizzlies. The Kings (16-26) have now lost four games in a row and have fallen to 11th place in the Western Conference but are just 1.5 games behind the Denver Nuggets who are in eighth place – the final playoff qualifying position.
As the Kings struggle to figure out how to win games without the injured Rudy Gay (Achilles tendon) for the rest of the season, the team must also deal with the fact they are still in playoff contention. At this point, it is almost appears that no team really wants to take control of eighth place in the West.
The Kings started the game strong in Memphis – something that this team has not been doing recently. They outscored the Grizzlies 23-15 in the first behind seven points from DeMarcus Cousins and Ty Lawson’s six points. The Kings also played strong defense holding Memphis to just 30.4-percent shooting including going 0-for-7 from beyond the 3-point line.
The situation changed dramatically in the second quarter as the Grizzlies came alive behind the play of Vince Carter who scored 11 points off the bench. Memphis shot 12-for-22 (54.5-percent) from the floor and hit 3-of-7 from long range. The Grizzlies outscored the Kings 34-19 and took a 49-42 lead with them to the locker room at halftime.
The Grizzlies came out in the third quarter ready play just like they had in the second period. In the third, it was Marc Gasol who led the Memphis attack with 15 points. Zach Randolph put up seven points in less than three minutes on the floor. The Grizzlies outscored Sacramento 34-22 as DeMarcus Cousins was limited to just three points in the period. At the end of three quarters, Memphis held a 84-63 lead.
After his team’s lackluster third quarter performance, Dave Joerger sat his starters for the fourth quarter and inserted Willie Cauley-Stein and Ben McLemore. Later in the fourth, rookies Malachi Richardson and Skal Labissiere saw playing time. The Kings did outscore the Grizzlies 27-24 in the final period.
Joerger’s postgame analysis
It was a tough game
We didn’t play really well
We didn’t make shots
We threw the ball away
Memphis has a really good team -players
Stars of the game
Grizzlies
Game-high leading scorer Marc Gasol Photo: NBAE
Marc Gasol scored a game-high 28 points on Friday night shooting 9-for-19 from the floor. He shot 3-for-6 from 3-point range and was a perfect 7-of-7 from the free throw line. Gasol recorded eight rebounds and handed out four assists.
Zach Randolph was a star of the bench which is really no surprise. He posted a double-double scoring 20 points and grabbing 10 rebounds in just 23-minutes of playing time
Kings
It will come as no surprise that DeMarcus Cousins was the Kings star of the game. Sacramento with Rudy Gay lost for the remainder of the season is even more dependent on Cousins than they were three days ago. He led the Kings in scoring with 19 points and made it a double-double by recording 10 rebounds. The oddity was Cousins scored 16 points in the first half and just three point in the third quarter. He did not play in the fourth quarter by coach’s decision. Cousins also picked up his 14th technical foul in the second quarter of the game. That becomes very serious because technical foul number 16 results in a one-game suspension with additional suspensions for every two technical fouls after that 16th tech.
Co-stars
Kings
Ty Lawson working hard on defense Photo: NBAE
Garrett Temple made the start at forward and made an effort to fill the gap left by the loss of Rudy Gay. Temple put up 14 points and hauled in three rebounds while distributing three assists.
Ty Lawson worked hard on the second unit again on Friday night. He scored 13 points and dished out five assists. Lawson has really become a dependable “go to ” player off the bench for the Kings.
Grizzlies
Mike Conley is a key player for the Grizzlies Photo: NBAE
Mike Conley showed again why he is such a key to the Grizzlies success working at the point by scoring 16 points and distributing eight assists. He also recorded eight rebound.
Tony Allen recorded a double-double at guard for Memphis against the Kings. He scored 13 and pulled down 10 rebounds. Five of those rebounds were offensive boards which kept possessions alive.
Key stat of the game
The Grizzlies out-rebounded the Kings 58-35. More importantly, 15 of the Memphis rebounds were offensive rebounds which extended possession and created second chance scoring opportunities. The Grizzlies posted 18 second-chance points to just four for Sacramento.
Up next on the schedule
The Kings moved on to Chicago were they will play the Bulls in the second game of a back-to-back set on the road. They will also face former teammate Rajon Rondo.
The Grizzlies are also back in action on Saturday as they host the high powered Houston Rockets in the FedEx Center “Grind House”.
Rudy Gay unable to walk after going down in the Pacers game
by Charlie O. Mallonee
Rudy Gay fell to the floor at the Golden 1 Center on Wednesday night with 14.3-seconds to go in the third quarter of the game with the Indiana Pacers. When that happened, everything about the Kings current campaign changed and what will happen with the team’s personnel in 2017-18 may also have been affected as well.
The diagnosis is as bad as it gets
A full MRI on Thursday revealed that Gay suffered a full rupture of the left Achilles tendon. The tendon will require surgery to repair. The surgery has not yet been scheduled.
Rehabilitation is tough and recovery is not assured
Dr. Steven M. Raikin wrote in Sports Illustrated back in April 2015 about the recovery issues associated with an Achilles tendon and his notes are sobering:
The Achilles is the largest and strongest tendon in the body so when it is injured it is always serious
70-percent of Achilles ruptures are sports related and nearly one-half happen while playing basketball
It tends to be a “weekend warrior” type injury but pro athletes are not exempt: see Kobe Bryant
Following a rupture the tendon almost never returns to 100-percent and 36-percent of NFL and NBA players are never able to return to pro sports following the injury
The recovery/rehab period is usually about a year in order to return to competition
Players returning after an Achilles surgery experience up to a 50-percent decrease in power and will usually play 3-4 seasons after they return to competition
Rudy’s plans for next season have probably just changed
Gay had notified the Kings that he intended to opt-out of the final year of his three-year contract to test the free agent market at the end of the 2016-17 season. A player with Gay’s skills and experience under the new salary cap and CBA should be able to upgrade their salary package considerably in “the Association’s” current market conditions. The Kings were expected to bid for Gay’s services but in the open market there were certainly no guarantees that he would be back in purple and white in 2017-18.
Given the sudden turn of events and the one-year rehab process that Gay is facing, a $14,263,566 contract for next season may look much more attractive than it did 48-hours ago. No team is going to be willing to invest big money in a player until they know what his abilities are going to be on the floor following recovery and rehab. Gay has to protect his family and himself by staying under contract to Sacramento while recovers and then hopefully has the chance to show NBA teams he is ready to play in the second-half of next season.
This changes things for the Kings personnel decision makers
NBA observers had been calling on the Kings to trade Gay ever since the forward had declared he intended to opt-out of the final year of his contract. The experts said the team could not afford to just let a talent like Gay walk away for nothing in return.
The problem for the Sacramento management has been their team’s flirtation with the number eight spot in the Western Conference and the chance to make the playoffs. Portland, Denver and Sacramento have all been battling for that final playoff position and the Kings believe they needed Gay’s 18.7 points and 6.3 rebounds per game to make the playoffs a reality for their team. It is difficult to argue with their point of view.
Now, the dream of making the playoffs continues but it does so without Rudy Gay’s considerable talents in the lineup. The fact that Gay will probably be on their roster and unavailable until at least mid-January 2018 also changes how the Kings have to plan their player personnel acquisitions and revenue for next season.
There is a little light at the end of the tunnel
The Kings have played 11 games this season without Rudy Gay in the starting lineup when he was sidelined with a hip flexor injury. Sacramento had a record of 5-6 in those games without Gay in the lineup.
The Kings have to hope that their production without Gay in the starting lineup was not a fluke and that they can pick up the slack in quick order.
Westbrook en route to 20th triple-double Photo: Kelley L Cox USA Today Sports
by Charlie O. Mallonee
Sacramento — Stop me if you have heard this before. “Tough night. Tough game to watch. The guys (Kings) are playing as hard as they can,” Sacramento head coach Dave Joerger after watching his team lose to the Oklahoma City Thunder 122-118. The Kings actually cut the Thunder lead to just two points with 11-seconds to go in the game, but there was not enough time left to finish the potential comeback.
The Kings were down by 12 points with 2-minutes remaining in the game and it felt like things were over at that point. Three 3-point baskets by Tolliver, Collison and Gay along with three Oklahoma City turnovers allowed Sacramento to work their way back into the game. Literally, the Kings waited 60-seconds to long to start their comeback and have enough time to finish it with a positive outcome.
The Kings are playing hard. They are not giving up. They just do not have enough “____________” (fill in the blank with your own opinion because there are so many and no one idea seems to be the right one at this moment). There can be no doubt that something is missing. Be assured the Kings want to fix it. At this point, it must not be that easy to fix or the organization would do it immediately.
No team wants to be in playoff contention – and the Kings are still in ninth place one-game back of Portland even after this loss – with a record of 1-5 on a seven-game homestand. The Kings management, coaching staff and players want to fix whatever is wrong. At this point, they just have not been able to do so successfully.
What will the Kings do next? They have a multitude of options so predicting the next move is very difficult despite whatever anyone is saying. The one thing that is known at this point is the Kings want that eighth spot in the Western Conference Playoffs.
Dave Joerger draws up a play for the Kings versus the Thunder Photo: NBAE
It was a long game on Sunday night
Early in his postgame comments, Kings head coach Dave Joerger talked about what a long game it was on Sunday night. In fact, Joerger said it felt like game went on for hours.
There were 57 personal fouls committed by both teams
A total of 81 free throws were attempted
Four technical fouls were assessed
Add in timeouts, arguments by coaches and players plus video reviews and it was a long night for everyone
Stars of the game
Cousins goes to the basket against the Thunder Photo: NBAE
Russell Westbrook – it did not look like the triple-double machine would pull off another impressive stat night early in the game. The OKC star guard had just 11 points, four rebounds and six assists at the half. By the time game ended, Westbrook had posted his 20th triple-double of the season by scoring 36 points, grabbing 11 rebounds and dishing out 10 assists. The man is truly a phenomena.
DeMarcus Cousins – the Kings center had a big night as he scored 31 points for his team and made it a double-double game by hauling in 11 rebounds (6 offensive). He also had seven assists. It was not a great shooting night as he went 8-for-20 from the floor but Cousins made up for it from the free throw line by hitting 14-of-17 from the stripe.
Co-stars
Darren Collison – the point guard had just two points in the first half of the game and finished the game with 21 points. He shot 7-for-9 from the floor including going 2-for-3 from 3-point range. Collison also took advantage of the charity stripe going 5-for-6 from the free throw line. He also posted two assists and two steals.
Enes Kanter – he is an easy selection for the Thunder. When Steven Adams went down due to injury, Kanter picked up the slack. Kanter scored a season-high 29 against the Kings hitting 10-of-18 shots. He also recorded a double-double by pulling down 12 rebounds.
Other featured players
Rudy Gay brings the ball up the floor versus the Thunder Photo: NBAE
Kings – Rudy Gay 21 points and 10 rebounds, Anthony Tolliver 10 points, Garrett Temple 8, Matt Barnes 7 points and 8 rebounds, Arron Afflalo 7 points
Thunder – Victor Oladipo 23 points shooting 7-for-14, Alex Abrines 13 points and Steven Adams 6 points and 4 rebounds in just 19-minutes before being injured
Spotlight on stats
Points in the Paint: Thunder 56 Kings 46
2nd chance points: Kings 17 Thunder 14
Fast break points: Thunder 25 Kings 9
Turnovers: Kings 22 (23 pts for OKC) Thunder 19 (28 pts for SAC)
Steven Adams, OKC Thunder – Adams went down after battling for a rebound at the 10:48 mark of the third quarter. He left the court and did not return to the game. Adams hit his head on the floor and was experiencing concussion-like symptoms. He will be evaluated on Monday to determine if he must enter the NBA concussion protocol program.
Up next on the schedule
Kings – Sacramento closes out the seven-game homestand versus the Indiana Pacers on Wednesday night at the Golden 1 Center. Sacramento is just 1-5 on the current homestand and would like to close it out on a positive note before heading out on a brutal road trip. The Kings will play eight games over 13 days on the road and will not be back in Sacramento until February.
Thunder – Oklahoma City has the second game of a back-to-back set on Monday night in Los Angeles against the Clippers. The Thunder will then head back to the Bay Area on Wednesday night to take on Kevin Durant and the Golden State Warriors in a nationally televised game.
Kings Ty Lawson scored 17 points against the Cavaliers Photo: NBAE
by Charlie O. Mallonee
Sacramento — The Kings had the unenviable task of taking on LeBron James and the defending NBA Champion Cleveland Cavaliers on Friday night on their homecourt. The Cavs came into the game losers of two consecutive games and they were not looking to make it a three game losing streak. Cleveland did win the game 120-108 but after making look like they would just runaway with it in the first half, the Cavs found out the Kings have some fight in them this season as they made a battle of it in the second half.
The Kings (16-23) ran into trouble early as DeMarcus Cousins picked up two personal fouls in the first quarter and had to go to the bench with 4:18 remaining the period . The Cavaliers took advantage of the Kings big man being off the floor and ripped off 10 quick points to take a 32-15 lead into the second quarter.
In the second quarter, Kings head coach Dave Joerger took a big chance when he returned Cousins to the floor with 9:52 remaining because the Cavaliers were threatening to run away with the game. The move had the desired affect as Cleveland outscored the Kings just 29-28 in the period behind Cousins’ 11 points. Even more importantly, the Kings center did not pick up another foul in the quarter. At the half, Cleveland led Sacramento 61-43 but there appeared to be a pivot in the game. Frankly, the Cavs seemed to lose focus and possibly interest in the game late in the second quarter.
Cousins had a big night versus Cleveland despite early foul trouble Photo: NBAE
After halftime, the Kings picked up where they left off in the first half. In the third quarter, it was Rudy Gay who picked up the offense scoring 11 points (4-for-6 shooting, 1 3-pointer, 2-of-3 free throws). Cousins had only three points in the quarter but had four assists as the team ran the ball through him on the high-post. Sacramento outscored the Cavaliers 31-23 in the third. The Kings shot 70.6-percent (12-for-17) from the field and hit 4-of-5 (80-percent) 3-pointers in the period. After three quarters, the Cavaliers led the Kings 84-74.
What the Kings needed in the fourth quarter was a run of 10 to 12 unanswered points. It looked like that was going to happen early in the quarter when Sacramento went on a 6-0 run and cut the Cleveland (29-10) lead to just six points. But, that was as close as the Kings would come to regaining the lead. Ty Lawson scored 13 in period for the Kings while Kyle Korver led the Cavs with eight points. When the final buzzer sounded, the Cavaliers had won the game 120-108.
The Kings Dave Joerger was a proud coach
“Good game – proud of our guys. We got off to a slow start. We didn’t make a lot of shots in the first half and we turned the basketball over 14 times, so they were able to get out and run. I had them for 24 fast break points in the first half. They ended up with 24. We cut it down in the second half a little bit. I’m happy about how we battled. We got three stops in a row 11 times which we haven’t done for a long time. And, we fought like crazy. They’re a good team. They present a plethora of problems to solve and that was a good experience for our guys and I was happy that we kept battling.
Stars of the game
Kings – While there were others with bigger numbers, no player had any more important stats than guard Ty Lawson. Lawson scored 17 points in the game and shot an impressive 7-for-10 from the floor. But what was really impressive about his scoring was that 13 of those 17 points were scored in the fourth quarter. Lawson shot 5-for-6 in final period. He played like a man possessed. A man who wanted to win the game.
Cavaliers – Again there were other players with larger numbers but Kyle Korver and his 18 points really stood out in the game. Korver was playing in just his third game for Cleveland since being traded from Atlanta. He had not even been able to have a full practice with the team before beginning to play for them. Kover did have the opportunity to participate in a shootaround on Friday morning and it looked like it paid off. Korver shot 7-for-10 from the field while hitting 4-of-6 from “downtown”. He also recorded five rebounds (1 offensive), two assists and two steals in the game.
Kyle Korver had his best game for his new team in Sacramento on Friday night Photo: NBAE
Co-stars
Kings – DeMarcus Cousins posted maybe his most impressive double-double of the season. The big man scored 26 points and dished out 11 assists. The Kings made a nice adjustment against the Cleveland defense and started running the ball through Cousins on the high-post. When his teammates were moving to open space, Cousins was finding them and setting them up to score. Former Kings head coach George Karl who we know was not a big Cousins fan on many levels, called the center the best passer on the Kings multiple times last season. It seems Karl got at least one thing right.
Cavaliers – Iman Shumpert finished the game with 16 points for Cleveland, but he did his real damage in the first quarter. The talented guard went a perfect 3-for-3 (all 3-pointers) from the floor in the opening period. Those nine points helped to propel the Cavs out to a 32-15 lead that ultimately the Kings would never be able to overcome in the game.
Iman Shumpert’s first quarter scoring influenced the entire game for Cleveland Photo: NBAE
Other key players
Kings – Rudy Gay 23 points and 10 rebounds (5 offensive); Darren Collison 13 points and four assists; Matt Barnes eight points and five rebounds in 17-minutes on the floor (his coach said in retrospect he should have probably played Barnes more).
Cavaliers – Kyrie Irving 26 points (10-for-22 shooting); LeBron James 16 points and 15 assists ( how’s that for a double-double?); Kevin Love 15 points and 18 rebounds.
The numbers game
Both teams shot over 50-percent from the floor: Cleveland 50.6-percent (44-for-87) Sacramento 52.5-percent (42-for-80)
There were 24 3-point baskets made in the game. The Kings shot a very nice 9-for-25 (36-percent) from beyond the arc. The Cavs made it rain as they hit 15-of-37 (40.5-percent) from downtown as teams continue to burn the Kings from beyond the 3-point line
The Kings out-rebounded the Cavaliers 42-39. They also were slightly better on the offensive glass grabbing 11 to the Cavs 10
Turnovers were a big problem for Sacramento in the first half as they committed 14 of their 21 miscues in the first 24 minutes. The Kings turned the ball over 21 times which resulted in 26 points for the Cavaliers. Cleveland took better care of the ball turning itover just 12 times but the TOVs did turn into 20 points for Sacramento.
Up next on the schedule
The Kings will be back on the floor on Sunday when they host Russell Westbrook and the Oklahoma City Thunder at the Golden 1 Center. The Kings beat the Thunder in Sacramento back in November 116-101 behind a 36 point effort from DeMarcus Cousins. Westbrook scored 31 for the Thunder in that contest. The game on Sunday night tips off at 6 p.m.
The Cavaliers are off until Monday when they will play their archrivals the Golden State Warriors in Oakland in a nationally televised game.
Rudy Gay attacks the basket versus the Warriors Photo:NBAE
by Charlie O. Mallonee
Sacramento — The Golden State Warriors played their first game in the new Golden 1 Center in Sacramento on Sunday night and found the new arena to their liking. The Warriors – who were coming off an overtime loss on Friday to Memphis – started the game slowly but recovered in the second half to post their 33rd victory of the season with a 117-106 win over the Sacramento Kings (15-22). The Kings have now lost three games in a row on this current homestand.
The Kings started the game with a high energy performance. Sacramento outscored the Warriors 33-24 in the first quarter behind a 15-point opening period barrage put on by Rudy Gay. Gay shot 6-for-8 from the floor including one 3-point basket. The Kings shot 54.2-percent (13-for-24) from the field and hit 4-of-10 shots from behind the 3-point line.
The Warriors began to work their way back into the game in the second quarter behind Klay Thompson’s 10 points. The Warriors won the second period 27-25 but the Kings went to halftime with a 58-51 lead having never trailed Golden State in the first 24 minutes of play.
The real Golden State Warriors showed up in the third quarter. The Warriors followed the lead of Stephen Curry who scored 12 points while shooting 5-for-7 including two 3-pointers in the period. Golden State hit 60-percent of their field goals (15-for-25) and 50-percent of 3-point tries (4-of-8) en route to outscoring the Kings 39-22 in the quarter. The Warriors defense also tightened up holding DeMarcus Cousins to just three points and limiting the Kings to a 31.3 field goal percentage. Golden State led 90-80 at the end of three quarters.
The Kings tried to mount a comeback in the fourth quarter but while they shot very well (57.1-percent 8-for-14) Sacramento was unable to put together any type of run which is what they needed to really cut into the Golden State lead. The Warriors defense did an impressive job of keeping DeMarcus Cousins from becoming a factor holding him to just four points and two rebounds in the final period.
Golden State sets more records
The Warriors have now gone 124 consecutive regular-season games without a back-to-back loss which is an NBA record. Golden State has now won their last 17 regular-season games after loss with their victory on Sunday.
The win was also the Warriors 13th consecutive victory over the Kings. That is Golden State’s longest active win streak over any opponent. This win streak is the fourth-longest active win streak against one opponent in NBA history.
Top performers
Rudy Gay was the Kings star of the game in his second start since coming of the injury list with a hip flexor problem. The major portion of Gay’s production came in the first half, but he had a strong overall performance in his 35-minutes of playing time. Gay scored 23 points, had two assists and added two blocked shots. He went 9-for-17 from the floor including two 3-point baskets.
While this may seem cold, the Kings management has to be pleased with Gay’s performance because it has to make his trade value increase. Gay has already declared that he is going to opt-out of the final year of his contract with Sacramento. Several teams including the OKC Thunder have been rumored to be interested in the veteran forward. The Kings cannot afford to let a player of Gay’s talent go and not get something in return.
Would it painful to see him go? Yes. Does it have to happen? Virtually every expert observer of the game says the Kings must get something in return for Gay.
Picking the top performer for Golden State is easy. I’m sorry … excuse my yawn. Yes, it’s Stephen Curry. Curry scored 30 points, had six assists and added two steals to his box score. The MVP shot 11-for-22 overall and 5-for-11 from 3-point land. Simply put, the man is just incredible.
Co-stars of the game
For the Kings, it has to be DeMarcus Cousins. He posted another double-double with 17 points and 10 rebounds. He also had five assists, two steals and two blocks in the game. Only Cousins could have line like this and have people say that he had an off-game. The Warriors defense did make it a very tough night for the Sacramento all-star center.
The Golden State defense gets the nod for their co-star of the game. When you can take DeMarcus Cousins out of the game, a defense has done something right. They used the double-team to perfection while still covering the potential open shooters and were very physical with Cousins. Zaza Pachulia proved he can hold his own down low against star centers.
Kevin Durant get honorable mention with 28 points, six assists and four blocked shots.
Key stats that made a difference in the game
Points in the paint: Warriors 52 Kings 36 – this is an area the Kings usually do not lose
2nd chance points: Warriors 10 Kings 2 the next stat will explain this one
Rebounds: Warriors 46 (13 offense) Kings 31 (1 offense) another category the Kings do not lose
Fast break points: Warriors 28 Kings 3
Cousins technical foul
DeMarcus Cousins was called for a lose ball foul with 4:14 left to go in the first half of the game. As with most lose ball fouls, if you are a Warriors fan, it was a righteous call. If you are a Kings fan, it was a complete injustice.
Cousins thought it was a complete injustice. He let referee David Guthrie know what he thought of the call. Cousins then went to the bench and beat up a chair (Bobby Knight had to be so proud). Referee John Goble felt sorry for the chair and called a technical foul on Cousins – his 10th of the season. While not pretty, I am not sure the incident was worthy of a “tech”.
Cousins vs the chair Video capture from CSN
There was a feeling by some observers that Cousins play was still affected by the incident into the third quarter. His coach Dave Joerger did not agree. Joerger felt it was a combination of a strong Golden State defensive scheme and fatigue that influenced Cousins production in the second half.
Up next on the schedule
The Kings head back to the court on Tuesday when they will host the Detroit Pistons. The Pistons beat the Trail Blazers 125-124 in double-overtime on Sunday.
The Warriors will also go back to work on Tuesday when they will host the Miami Heat.
The NBA game on Sunday night at the Golden 1 Center in Sacramento will be a history making event as the contest between the Golden State Warriors and the Sacramento Kings will be streamed live on Facebook around the world to India.
This worldwide Facebook event of streaming the game to India comes on Bollywood Night at the Golden 1 Center which will be a celebration of Indian culture, cinema and music. This will be the fourth Bollywood Night celebrated by the Kings organization.
The Kings have developed some deep ties to basketball fans in India thanks to the efforts of Sacramento majority owner Vivek Ranadive. Ranadive is a strong supporter of the NBA Global Initiatives that are marketing the game to the world.
The Facebook stream of the game on Sunday night will feature the new NBA Mobile Feed which is designed to enhance viewing on smaller screens. The Mobile Feed is a “zoomed in” view to make viewing more enjoyable on smaller devices.
This digital event will originate from the new Golden 1 Center in Sacramento which is billed as ” the world’s most technologically advanced and sustainable sports venue”. The building is dedicated to being on the “cutting edge” of sports and entertainment.
“Technology allows us to enhance the fan experience – in the arena and around the world like never before,” said Kings Owner and Chairman Vivek Ranadive. “Through this groundbreaking live broadcast, we’ll be able to engage new fans, introduce many to the excitement of NBA basketball for the first time, and share the Kings cultural showcase that Sacramento-based fans enjoy every year – through an incredibly powerful network that brings people together.”
Sacramento — The Sacramento Kings had the unenviable job of trying to get back into the win column against the Los Angeles Clippers on Friday night. The Clippers (25-14) came into the game winners of two consecutive games despite being short-handed due to injuries.
The Kings (15-21) literally went to battle with their rivals from Southern California but were unable to cross the finish line victorious losing 106-98.
Kings head coach Dave Joerger analyzed the game this way: “Good competitive basketball game. They’re a very talented team. They made more shots than we did. The lack of seeing the ball go in affected some of the other parts of out game. We had a tough stretch in the second quarter … they got some transition three’s. All in all good basketball game. The guys competed.”
When asked how his team is going to be able to beat teams like the Clippers in the future, Joerger responded, “They have just got to keep working and playing as hard as they can. Play at as high of a level as they can. There’s nothing to hang your head about. They (the Clippers) are one of the five best teams in the league.”
The Kings cut the Clippers lead to just two points, 100-98, with 56.2-seconds remaining in the game. After Sacramento turned the ball over on a bad pass by Cousins under the basket, the Kings had no choice but to foul the opposition. The Clippers went 6-for-6 from the free throw line in final seconds while Kings were unable to score.
Clippers head coach Doc Rivers said, “The resolve, I thought that we showed in the fourth quarter was just fantastic. I love it.”
Key players returned for both teams
The Kings had been without Rudy Gay for nine games due to a right hip flexor strain. Gay was able to return to the lineup on Friday night and made an immediate impact scoring nine points in the first quarter.
Gay went on to play 33-minutes scoring 18 points and adding seven rebounds for his team. He shot 7-for-17 for the game and was just 1-for-3 from beyond the 3-point line, but there was bound to be some rust to shake off after the extended layoff.
Chris Paul returned to action for the Clippers on Friday after missing four games Photo: NBAE
Chris Paul made his return to the floor for the Clippers in the game. The all-star point guard had been sidelined for four consecutive games due to a sore left hamstring. Paul played 31-minutes and recorded a double-double by scoring 14 points and dishing out 12 assists.
Paul’s head coach, Doc Rivers, thought his defense down the stretch was what made the difference in the game for the Clippers.
The teams traded controlling the flow of the game
The Kings and Clippers each controlled the flow of the game in very distinct ways on Friday night. Sacramento was very much in charge in the first quarter as they outscored LAC 29-19 and shot 50-percent from the field. They seemed determined, ready and not totally dependent on DeMarcus Cousins.
Sacramento ran into a real rough patch in the second period as the Clippers erased their 10-point lead in less than six minutes. Los Angeles outscored the Kings 34-12 in the quarter behind the 3-point shooting of Austin Rivers and JJ Redick. Sacramento shot just 15-percent (3-for-20) in the period. At the half, the Clippers led the Kings 53-41.
Based on their play in the second quarter, the Kings could have been completely out of the game early if they did not come out strong after halftime. They responded to that challenge and shot the lights out in the third quarter. Sacramento behind Cousins’ 11 points outpaced the Clippers 32-22 in the period. The Kings shot 63.2-percent (12-for-19) from the field and hit 4-of-8 3-point opportunities as they closed the LA lead to just two points, 75-73, after 36 minutes of play.
The talent and experience of the Clippers came into play in the fourth quarter as they scored 31 points to the Kings 25. LAC shot 50-percent (9-for-18) from the floor and 50-percent (5-of-10) from 3-point land plus they converted 8-of-9 free throws in the final period. Chris Paul led the Clippers scoring attack with seven points all from the free throw line.
The Kings struggled as they shot 9-for-24 (37.5-percent) from the field and 33.3-percent (3-for-9) from long range in the quarter. They hit 4-of-5 from the charity stripe.
The flow of most games is not usually as defined as it was in this game and is much more difficult to uncover. In this game, it was almost like there was a giant flashing arrow pointing out a change in the direction of the flow of the game.
Key Performers
Kings
Ty Lawson played strong for the Kings vs the Clippers Photo: NBAE
DeMarcus Cousins scored a game-high 25 points and made it a double-double game by grabbing 11 rebounds. Cousins spent much of the night on the high post in order to avoid foul trouble by battling with DeAndre Jordan and Luc Mbah a Moute.
Darren Collison was very productive playing the two-guard most of the game. He scored 20 points shooting 7-for-13 from the floor and hitting 3-of-6 from beyond the 3-point arc.
Ty Lawson put up 17 points while shooting 50-percent (6-for-12) from the floor. Lawson also distributed six assists from the point for the Kings.
Kosta Koufos played a diminished role with the change in rotation due to Gay’s return and the use of Collison and Lawson on the floor together. Dave Joerger praised Koufos for his professional attitude toward the changes. He scored seven points in 12-minutes of playing time. That was key playing time because it allowed DeMarcus Cousins to get very valuable rest.
Clippers
Austin Rivers scored 24 points for the Clippers against the Kings Photo: NBAE
Austin Rivers had another big game for LAC scoring 24 points in almost 36 minutes on the floor. Rivers hit 4-of-7 3-point shots.
DeAndre Jordan put up 20 points from the five spot on the floor. He was an incredible 9-for-10 on high percentage shots for the Clippers. Many of those shots were “slammed home with authority!”
JJ Redick did his job to perfection killing the Kings momentum with well timed field goals that totaled 19 points. Five of his six baskets were 3-point conversions.
Up next on the schedule
The Kings will return to action at home on Sunday night when they host the Golden State Warriors. Playing the Warriors is tough enough but now Golden State is going to come to Sacramento angry. The Warriors lost an overtime game at home to Memphis on Friday night. There were reports of anger between players spilling over in the locker room. Golden State will be determined not to lose two in a row.
The Clippers return to Los Angeles and will host the Miami Heat on Sunday at the Staples Center. The Heat lost to the Lakers 127-100 at Staples on Friday night. The Clippers have the opportunity to make it four consecutive wins in one week. That would be a nice way to kick off the new year.
by Charlie O. Mallonee
Sports Radio Service 