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.
Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson made a major announcement during his “State of the City” address Thursday evening concerning new investors in the Sacramento Republic FC soccer club. Johnson revealed that San Francisco 49ers owner Jed York and several others from the 49ers organization would be making an investment the Sacramento Republic FC to enhance the chances of Major League Soccer granting a franchise to the Capital City.
This announcement came on the heals of the news the Sacramento Kings are coming on board as minority owners of the Republic FC. From statements that were made after the announcement, it appears the investment by the York group will be similar to the Kings stake in club.
Paraag Marathe – President of the 49ers – said the 49ers have so many ticket holders in Sacramento it is a natural to invest in the area. Marathe went on to say, “There is something really special here in Sacramento. The electricity and passion of the fans, city here is invigorating. There’s nothing like it.”
The main force behind the York group becoming involved locally was Mayor Kevin Johnson. Johnson is the one who introduced York and the others to Sacramento Republic FC lead investor Kevin Nagle. Johnson has made it clear that he sees a soccer only stadium as a key component of the rail yards development area.
Marathe indicated the York group believes in Sacramento as sports town and also as a development area. York’s family business background is built on the development of commercial property.
Marathe also stated the York group is “looking forward to leaning on its stadium expertise” having just opened Levi Stadium in Santa Clara in 2014.
The Sacramento Republic FC is hoping the power of two major sports franchise owners will give them an advantage as they try to convince Major League Soccer that its 24th franchise should be located in Sacramento.
The Sacramento Republic FC announced on Wednesday that the Sacramento Kings have become investors in the team. Republic FC’s lead investor Kevin Nagle is a minority owner of the Kings.
“We shared early on out desire to have the Sacramento Kings as a part of our efforts to secure MLS for Sacramento,” said Nagle. “Their investment in FC, and support of out bid for expansion rights, is just one reason more reason why we are “Built for MLS.”
“This is another major step in revitalizing downtown and making the entire Sacramento region an even better place to work, live and play. We’re committed to our vision of making Sacramento the world class city its citizens deserve,” – said Kings Owner and Chairman Vivek Ranadivé.
“Vivek and the Kings have brought visionary leadership to Sacramento,” said Mayor Kevin Johnson. “They are the perfect partners for the City of Sacramento and Sacramento Republic FC in this transformational opportunity. All of us are building Sacramento into a city that will set the example for the way sports and culture interact with American cities in the future.”
Additional details about the partnership will be released in tonight’s State of the City address.
Sacramento is a finalist for what is believed to be the final franchise in the next round of expansion by Major League Soccer. Minneapolis-St. Paul and Las Vegas are also vying for the franchise opportunity.
Sacramento has identified space in the Railyards Development in downtown Sacramento as the location for a soccer only stadium. MLS is believed to be partial to downtown stadiums for its franchises.
Update: The NBA has confirmed the postponing of the Kings – Knicks game tonight in New York City. The game has been rescheduled for Tuesday, March 3rd at Madison Square Garden. That will create back-to-back road games for the Kings. Sacramento will play Spurs in San Antonio on Wednesday, March 4th.
Sacramento Kings television broadcaster Grant Napear has sent a Tweet stating that tonight’s Kings – Knicks game has been postponed due the expected blizzard that will be impacting the New York City area this afternoon. According to Napear, no make up date has been established.
The New York Post newspaper is also reporting the Sacramento – New York Knicks has been postponed.
Quincy Miller
The Sacramento Bee is reporting forward Quincy Miller has been signed to a second 10 day contract. Miller scored 13 points to go with six rebounds, two blocked shots and two steals versus the Golden State Warriors on Friday night.
Miller is filling the 15th spot on the Kings roster. Sacramento may need a forward on a full-time basis if Jason Thompson or Derrick Williams are moved before the trade deadline. Both Thompson and Williams have been the subject of trade rumors.
On Friday night in Oakland, it was Klay Thompson’s world and the rest of us were allowed to live in it.
Thompson did something against the Kings that no player had done in the history of the NBA. He scored 37 points in the third quarter of the game. No player in “the Association” has ever scored that many points in a quarter before Thompson did it on Friday night.
Not only did Thompson score 37 points in the third quarter, he was a perfect 13 for 13 from the field including nine 3-Pointers. Thompson scored 52 points for the game and he sat on the bench for most of the fourth quarter. He finished with 11 3-Point baskets just one short of Kobe Bryant’s NBA record of 12 3-Pointers in a game.
The Golden State Warriors (36-6) rode Thompson’s coattails to a 126-101 win over the Sacramento Kings (16-27).
Marreese Speights put up 19 for the Warriors off the bench to go with 11 from Draymond Green and 10 from Stephen Curry.
Golden State shot 47.9-percent (45 for 94) from the field while going 17 for 40 (42.5-percent) from beyond the 3-Point arc. They were 19 for 22 (86.4-percent) from the free throw line.
The Kings were led in scoring by DeMarcus Cousins’ 28 points in 35 minutes of playing time. Darren Collison added 15 points, Quincy Miller 13, Nik Stauskas 11. Rudy Gay was held scoreless after he was ejected from the game for back-to-back technical fouls at the 8:15 mark of the second quarter.
Sacramento shot 41.5-percent (34 for 82) from the floor and 23.5-percent (4 for 17) from 3-Point range. The Kings shot 85.3-percent (29 for 34) from the charity stripe.
Neither team took good care of the ball. The Warriors turned the ball over 18 times (21 points) while the Kings gave the ball back 22 times (21 points).
Golden State out-rebounded Sacramento 46 to 43.
The Warriors threatened to runaway with the game in the first quarter when they went on a 20-2 run. The Kings did not give up and closed the gap to just nine points by the end of the quarter.
The Kings continued to chip away at the Warriors in the second quarter even after Gay’s ejection. Sacramento took advantage of a cold shooting streak by the Warriors to cut the lead to just five points (56-51) at the half.
The Kings opened the third quarter with an 8-0 run and took the lead 58-56. Moments later Klay Thompson caught fire and literally history was made on the court.
The Kings have now lost six consecutive games. They are 0-3 versus the Warriors this season. Sacramento is now 0-1 on their five game road trip.
The Los Angeles Clippers (27-14) used a 30 point performance by Blake Griffin and a double-double (26 points/10 rebounds) from Matt Barnes plus the absence of Kings center DeMarcus Cousins to defeat Sacramento (16-24) 117-108 on Saturday night.
Both teams were playing the second game of a back-to-back schedule. Both teams lost their games on Friday night.
The Kings were playing short-handed with Cousins (ankle), Carl Landry (wrist) and Ramon Sessions (back) out due to injury. Sacramento also thought they would be without Rudy Gay for the second consecutive game except with less than three minutes to play in the first quarter Gay entered the floor. We learned after the game even his teammates were surprised to see Gay on the court.
The major difference in the contest was the way each team took care of the basketball. The Kings committed 18 turnovers that allowed the Clippers to score 16 points. Los Angeles turned the ball over just five times (six points). Turnovers and a lack of second half defense is why Kings lost the game.
The Breakdown
The Kings and Clippers played to a 28-28 tie in the first quarter. Sacramento was up by as many as eight points due to their scoring in the paint and Jason Thompson’s 11 points. Los Angeles rode the hot hand of Matt Barnes who scored nine points in the quarter to keep the Clippers even with the Kings.
The teams played even in the second quarter as well. They were tied five times in the period. Again, it was Matt Barnes leading the way for the Clippers with 11 points including three 3-Pointers. Rudy Gay made his presence known dropping in 12 points for the Kings. Each team scored 24 in the quarter.
The game was tied 52-52 at the half.
The Clippers were able to create a little separation in the third quarter. Los Angeles used a 9-0 run late in the quarter begin pulling away. Blake Griffin put up 13 for the Clippers while Kings reserve center Reggie Evans scored eight points. Los Angeles led Sacramento 83-78.
Any thoughts of the Clippers pulling away for an easy win were erased quickly by the Kings. Sacramento used 16 rebounds and eight second chance points to stay competitive in the final period. The Kings even went to a “hack-a-Jordan” plan to put poor free throw shooting DeAndre Jordan at the charity stripe. Ultimately that plan failed. The Clippers outscored the Kings 34-30 in the quarter to preserve the win.
The Clippers won the game 117-108.
By the Numbers
Blake Griffin’s 30 points lead all scorers in the game. JJ Redick put up 18 points while Chris Paul had a quiet 12 point night to go with nine assists.
The Clippers shot 47.8 percent (44 for 92) from the field. They were nine for 28 (32.1 percent) for 3-Pointers. Los Angeles was a terrible 20 for 31 (64.5 percent) from the free throw line. They were outrebounded by Kings 54-34.
Jason Thompson’s 23 points and 22 rebounds led the Kings attack. Rudy Gay added 22 points off the bench. Darren Collison added 17 points, Ben McLemore 14 and Derrick Williams 13.
The Kings were 41 for 89 (46.1 percent) from the floor and five for 18 from beyond the 3-Point arc. They were 21 for 26 (80.8 percent) from the charity stripe. Sacramento scored 25 second chance points.
In Their Own Words
On Rudy Gay playing in the game Kings Head Coach Tyrone Corbin said, “It was a game time decision. I was happy to see him get himself ready to go and be able to come into the game. I thought he played a great game. He gave us huge lift when he came into the game.”
Corbin was also pleased with Jason Thompson’s play, “Huge game. I thought he did a great job on defense fighting Blake (Griffin) most of the night … His offense – he set some screens and flat out hit a couple of shots. He shot it with a lot of confidence … It was a great overall game for him.”
Darren Collison was pleased with his team’s effort, “If we just come playing hard, we can be happy with that. Regardless of the score it – just come out and play hard. There were some games that we didn’t come out and play hard and that was bothering (me). I was glad we came out with this effort.
Game Notes
The Kings finished the six game homestand with a 2-4 record
Forward Quincy Miller played his first minutes for Sacramento and scored one point, grabbed two rebounds and dished out two assists
Miller has been signed to a 10 day contract with the Kings. He had been playing the Kings D-League team in Reno
Jason Thompson’s 22 rebounds are a career high
The Clippers victory evens the season series with the Kings at one win each
Sacramento and Los Angeles will meet next at the Staples Center on February 21
Up Next
Sacramento heads to Portland to face the Trail Blazers on Tuesday night.
The Clippers will host Boston on Monday afternoon.
Sacramento Kings Head Coach Tyrone Corbin summarized the game versus the Miami Heat (18-22) on Friday night in five words, “It was a disappointing loss.”
The Heat, without Dwayne Wade, rode the play of their star forwards Chris Bosh and Luol Deng to a 95-83 runaway victory over the Sacramento Kings (16-23) at Sleep Train Arena.
Bosh led all scorers in the game with 30 points to go with seven rebounds, three assists, three steals and one blocked shot. Bosh was a perfect three for three from beyond the 3-Point arc.
Luol Deng added 25 points for the Heat on just 18 shots. Deng grabbed six rebounds, had four assists, two steals and two blocked shots in his 37-minutes on the floor.
Miami guard Shabazz Napier was the only other Heat player to score in double figures with 12 points. Napier also had five assists, two steals and one blocked shot.
DeMarcus Cousins led the Kings scoring with 17 points but 14 of those points came in the first half. Cousins made it a double-double game pulling down 11 rebounds. One stat that Cousins would like to forget was his eight turnovers.
Ben McLemore (15), Darren Collison (13), Ray McCallum (11) and Derrick Williams (10) all scored in double figures for the Kings. McCallum was a perfect three for three from 3-Point range.
The Breakdown
The opening quarter was really a precursor of what was to come in this game. Miami’s Hassan Whiteside picked up two personal fouls in less than two minutes. The Kings committed three turnovers that led to four Heat points. The Kings controlled the boards (8-4) but committed five turnovers to one for Miami. Sacramento got into early foul trouble as Cousins, Casspi and Thompson all picked up two personals. Tyrone Corbin was forced to go to a two forwards and three guards small line-up. The Heat led the Kings 26-22 after one period.
Miami came out in the second quarter determined to control the pace. With Cousins on the bench, the Heat defense forced the Kings to take high percentage outside shots that were not falling. Cousins returned to the game and scored 10 points all in the paint. The Heat used a 7-0 run at the end of the quarter outscore the Kings 26-22 in the second. Miami shot 55.6-percent (10 for 18) while the Kings shot 38.9-percent (7 for 18). There were no second chance points scored in quarter.
At the half, Miami led Sacramento 52-44.
The Heat opened the third quarter by going on a 5-0 run. Miami then took control of the pace and slowed the tempo down to the way they like to play. The Kings cut the Heat lead to 10 but that was as close to the lead they would come in the second half. Sacramento’s poor shooting (6 for 19, 33.3-percent) allowed Miami to open up a lead of up to 17 points. Corbin even tried going back to his small line-up of two forwards and three guards, but it did not help. Miami outscored the Kings 23-17 and led the game 75-61 after three quarters.
The Kings opened the fourth quarter with a turnover on their first possession which was symbolic of the entire game. Miami played tough defense and controlled the clock preventing the Kings from making a run to get back into the game. Sacramento did outscore Miami 22-20 in the final quarter but it was too little too late. DeMarcus Cousins did not score in the fourth period while Chris Bosh led the Heat with eight points. With 2:04 to go in the game, Coach Corbin cleared the bench and the Heat coasted to their third victory on this five game road trip.
The final score was Miami 95 Sacramento 83.
By the Numbers
Miami shot 47.3-percent (35 for 74) for the game. They were 8 for 17 (47.1-percent) from 3-Point range. The Heat out-rebounded the Kings 38-35. Miami had nine steals and six blocked shots in the game. They turned the ball over 10 times (eight points).
The Kings shot just 42.7-percent (32 for 75) from the field. They actually shot better from beyond the 3-Point arc connecting on seven of 16 attempts (43.8-percent). Sacramento went to the free throw line just 14 times compared to 21 opportunities for Miami. The Kings turned the ball over 15 times and that allowed the Heat to score 17 points.
The Kings outscored the Heat 32 to 28 in the paint. Miami won the battle for second chance points 12-8. The Heat tallied 17 fastbreak points to just seven for the Kings.
In Their Own Words
Kings Head Coach Tyrone Corbin said after the game, “Well it was a disappointing loss. We just couldn’t find our place to generate points. We thought we had a chance at the end of that second quarter … We can’t feel sorry for ourselves because we have another tough opponent (LA Clippers) coming in here tomorrow. Hopefully, we can get some guys back tomorrow, but if not we have to be ready to go.”
Speaking on the pace of the game Corbin commented, “I just thought that we couldn’t create pace all night. We were looking around for someone to bail us out. We can’t afford to do that. This team (Miami) wanted to play at a slow tempo, so we talked about creating pace and pushing the ball down the floor. We ended falling into a trap and playing at a pace that was favorable to the other team.”
When asked about how the Kings can find some consistency DeMarcus Cousins said, “Craziest thing about it is, we know what the problem is. We know we’ve got to be a consistent defensive team and just don’t do it. So that’s something the guys on the floor have to figure out. We have to come together and figure it out – either you want to get it right or you want to continue to have nights like this.”
Game Notes
The Kings are now 10-13 at home and 2-3 on the six-game homestand … Sacramento played without Rudy Gay (knee), Carl Landry (wrist) and Ramon Sessions (back) – all three are considered day-to-day … DeMarcus Cousins’ double-double was his 23rd of the season … Ben McLemore scored in double figures (15 points) for the 27th time this season.
Miami is now 11-10 on the road … they were 3-2 on this five-game road trip … the Heat played without Dwyane Wade for the 10th time this year … this was Chris Bosh’s fifth 30-point game of the season … it was Luol Deng’s sixth 20-point plus game of 2014-15.
Up Next
Sacramento plays the Los Angeles Clippers on Saturday night.
Miami is off until next Tuesday when they will host the Oklahoma City Thunder.
The Cleveland Cavaliers (19-19) came into Sacramento without LeBron James in the line-up and left town having lost their fifth consecutive game. The Sacramento Kings (16-21) handed the Cavs a 103-84 loss and improved to 2-1 on their six game homestand.
After losing a shootout to Denver on Friday, the Kings needed to find their defensive focus, take care of the basketball and hit high percentage shots against the Cavaliers.
Sacramento gave up 29 points to Cleveland in the first quarter by allowing them to shoot 63.2-percent from the floor and 44.4-percent (4 for 9) from 3-Point range. The Kings locked down their defense in the second quarter and held the Cavs to a 31.6-Field Goal Percentage (6 for 19) and only allowed Cleveland to score 15 points in the period.
The teams went into halftime with the Kings leading the game 59-44.
The Kings gave up 20 points to the Cavs in the third quarter on just 7 for 18 shooting (38.9-percent). Sacramento did not let up on Cleveland in the fourth quarter allowing just 20 points on 8 of 22 shots (36.4-percent). For the game, the Kings held the Cavaliers to 42.3-percent (33 for 78) shooting from the field and 34.4-percent (11 for 32) from beyond the 3-Point arc. Cleveland had been averaging 90.1 points per game over their last eight games. The Kings held them to just 84 points on Sunday night.
Sacramento came into the game averaging 16.5 turnovers per game. They turned the ball over just five times against the Cavs (a season low). The Kings had zero turnovers in the second quarter.
The Kings outrebounded the Cavs 45-41.
The Kings needed to take higher percentage shots and they did. Sacramento outscored the Cavs 40-30 in the paint and led the game in Fastbreak points 17-5. The Kings scored 12 Second Chance points to just 7 for Cleveland.
The Kings dished out 20 assists for the game. Darren Collison led the team with six assists. DeMarcus Cousins added five, Ben McLemore four, Derrick Williams three and Rudy Gay two assists.
DeMarcus Cousins recorded his 21st double-double of the season putting up 26 points (game high) and grabbing 13 rebounds for Sacramento. Rudy Gay put up 23 points, Darren Collison 16 and Carl Landry 11.
Kevin Love led Cleveland with 25 points and 10 rebounds. Kyrie Irving added 21 points and seven assists. Timofey Mozgov, who just joined the Cavs from Denver, had a double-double with 14 points and and 12 rebounds.
Jason Thompson had the task of guarding Kevin Love on Sunday night. Love did score 25 but he had to put up 21 shots to record those points because of Thompson’s relentless defense.
There was a LeBron James siting. “The King” worked out before the game in front of adoring fans. James is expected to be back in the starting line-up as early as Thursday versus the Lakers in Los Angeles.
The Kings return to action on Tuesday when the host the Dallas Mavericks at Sleep Train Arena.
The Detroit Pistons (10-23) won their fifth a game in row as they defeated the Sacramento Kings 114-95 in Detroit on Sunday night.
Detroit road the “hot hand” of guard Brandon Jennings who scored 35 points on just 21 shots. Jennings was five for eight from 3-Point range and a perfect two for two from the free throw line. Jennings accomplished all of this in just 30 minutes of playing time.
The Pistons as a team shot 49.5-percent from the field (45-91) and 12 for 31 (38.7-percent) from beyond the 3-point arc. Detroit out-rebounded the Kings 49-41. The Pistons had 12 second-chance points to just one for Sacramento.
DeMarcus Cousins posted another double-double (18 points, 15 rebounds) in the Kings losing effort. Darren Collison was the bright light for Sacramento scoring 17 points on just seven shots including going two for two from 3-Point range. Derrick Williams scored 12 points off the bench for the Kings playing well in uptempo situations. Rudy Gay was held to just 12 points.
The Kings(14-20) shot just 42.7-percent (32-75) from the floor and three for 15 from beyond the 3-Point line. Sacramento recorded 18 assists, nine steals and four blocked shots in the game.
Kings Head Coach Tyrone Corbin was disappointed in his team’s defensive effort, “To give up 90 points in three quarters, you can’t say you had good effort. To have 31,29 and 30 (points) in three consecutive quarters regardless of how well they shot the ball … we could have found a little more than that.”
Game Flow
Both teams started the game slowly. In the first quarter, the Kings shot a very poor 39.1-percent (9-23) and were 0-4 from beyond the 3-Point line. Detroit put up 27 shots but hit on just 10 of those opportunities for a 37.0 Field Goal Percentage. The Kings used a late 8-2 run to keep the game close in the opening frame. Jason Thompson, who returned to the Kings starting lineup, led the team with seven points in the quarter. Detroit led the Kings 24-22 after the first 12 minutes.
DeMarcus Cousins made his presence known early in second quarter. Cousins filled the lane taking charges and causing Jonas Jerebko to pick up three personal fouls early in the period. McCallum brought the Kings some needed energy off the bench. When the Pistons starters returned to floor, they began to pull away from the Kings. Detroit shot a blistering 52.4-percent from the field and went 4 for 11 from 3-Point range. Jodie Meeks led the Pistons with eight points and Anthony Tolliver added six. Cousins and McLemore led the Kings with seven points each. The Pistons led the game 55-46 at the half.
The Kings opened the third quarter with Darren Collison being fouled and going to the line sinking three free throws. Sacramento had a 5-0 run to open up the period. Collison hit the Kings first 3-Pointer of the game and it began to feel like Sacramento could make a run at taking the lead back. Derrick Williams came off the bench and brought energy to the floor for the Kings. Williams drove to the hoop for a lay-up and was fouled. He hit the free throw to cut the Pistons lead to one point, but Brandon Jennings came back to life scoring seven points in the last 2:37 to help Detroit go back up by six points, 84-78, at the end of the quarter. Jennings scored 15 for the Pistons in the period while Collison had 10, Gay 8 and Williams 7 for the Kings.
Ray McCallum opened the fourth quarter with a field goal for the Kings, but things went downhill quickly for Sacramento. The Kings were unable to put together any kind of run, and they shot very poorly (5-15, 33.3-percent) from the field. While the Kings faltered, the Pistons heated up shooting 11 for 21 (52.4-percent) from the floor and hitting four of nine from 3-Point range. The Kings had no second chance points and zero fastbreak points in the quarter. Brandon Jennings was a perfect 3-3 shooting, good for eight points while Drummond added seven points. Jodie Meeks and Caron Butler scored five points each. The Pistons outscored the Kings 30-17 in the final period.
Game Notes
Sacramento finished the four game road trip with a 1-3 record … the Pistons five game winning streak began after the team waived forward Josh Smith … Brandon Jennings’ 35 points was a season high … the Kings return to Sacramento for a six game homestand that begins on Wednesday with the Oklahoma City Thunder … Added note: Rookie forward Eric Moreland has undergone successful surgery to repair the torn labrum in his left shoulder. The surgery was performed the renown Dr. Arthur Ting. Moreland will begin rehab immediately and should be available for the NBA Summer League.
Multiple news outlets are reporting the Sacramento Kings have signed interim head coach Tyrone Corbin through the end of the 2014-15 season.
The signing of Corbin should bring some much needed stability to a franchise that has been spiraling out of control since the firing of Michael Malone on December 15th.
The Kings dismissed Malone over style of play. The management would like the team to play an offense similar to the one used by the San Antonio Spurs. As the Kings have stepped up the tempo, their defense has become almost non-existent.
The players now know that Corbin will be in charge for the rest of the season. This should help the team focus on what Corbin is trying to teach them to execute in games.
It is also a chance for Corbin to audition his skills in order to be considered for the head coaching job on a permanent basis. Corbin has experience as a head coach with the Utah Jazz.
The signing also allows the Kings to take their time in deciding who should coach the team long term. The decision on who should be the coach as the team moves to the new arena is an important one for the Kings management.
For now, Tyrone Corbin is the man who will patrol the sidelines and call the shots for Kings as they try to salvage their season.
The Sacramento Kings hung on in overtime to defeat the New York Knicks 135-129 on Saturday night. For the Knicks, it was their seventh loss in a row.
The key to Kings (13-17) victory was the return of DeMarcus Cousins to the lineup. Cousins missed the Phoenix game with the flu. Against the Knicks, Cousins scored 39 points, grabbed 11 rebounds, dished out four assists and blocked two shots. He put up those numbers despite having to spend nine minutes of the third quarter and three minutes of the fourth on the bench due to four personal fouls.
Rudy Gay also had a big night for Sacramento. Gay recorded 29 points, two rebounds, three assists, two steals and two blocked shots while being tasked with defending Carmelo Anthony for the entire game.
Darren Collison had another strong performance for the Kings. Collison recorded a double-double scoring 27 points and distributing 10 assists. He shot nine of 10 from the field while going three for three from beyond the 3-point arc.
Carmelo Anthony paced the Knicks (5-27) with 36 points, 11 rebounds, six assists and one steal. Tim Hardaway Jr. put up 19 points with 11 of those points coming in the fourth quarter.
Shane Larkin and Samuel Dalembert performed well coming off the bench. Larkin scored 14 while Dalembert put 11 to go with four blocked shots.
The Kings came out in the first quarter ready to play. Sacramento built a 15 point lead near the end of the quarter. Cousins and Gay scored 15 points each to give the Kings a 38-27 lead after the first period.
The Knicks came back to life in the second quarter led by Anthony’s nine points. Shane Larkin played the entire quarter and added six points. New York was 10 of 20 from the field while going 10 for 11 from the free throw line. The Knicks outscored the Kings 31-29 in the second. At halftime, Sacramento led New York 67-58.
The third quarter proved to be a draw as both teams scored 22 points each. Rudy Gay led the Kings with eight points while DeMarcus Cousins was on the bench with four personal fouls. Anthony and Larkin led the Knicks with six point apiece. At the end of three quarters, the Kings were clinging to an 89-80 lead.
In the fourth quarter, New York began to take advantage of the Kings missed shots by grabbing rebounds and setting up the fast break. The Knicks scored 14 fastbreak points to just four for the Kings. New York also worked the boards for second chance points scoring 10 with the extra opportunities. The Knicks outscored the Kings 37-28 in the fourth to tie the game. A Tim Hardaway fastbreak lay-up tied the game at 117 all to force the overtime period.
The Kings scored first in overtime on a Cousins lay-up. The teams traded baskets and were tied at 124 when Jose Calderon hit a six foot jump shot to give the Knicks their first lead of the night at 126-124. Cousins hit two free throws to tie the game at 126 all. The Kings went on a 9-0 run that allowed them to win the game 135-129.
After the game, Kings head coach Tyrone Corbin said, ‘”It was a very much needed win. Even though it wasn’t the prettiest basketball, we’ll take the win.”
Knicks head coach Derek Fisher analyzed the game by saying, “Well of course. First and foremost is the effort. I thought that they remained committed to each other as teammates no matter what the circumstances were. They just kept fighting out there.Most nights you have to have that in order to give yourself a chance to win and we had that tonight. We just couldn’t get over the hump.”
The Kings now hit the road for a four game road trip. Sacramento will play in Brooklyn on Monday.
Game Notes: the Kings are now 8-10 at home and 3-1 in overtime games for the season … Cousins 39 points were a season high … Gay’s 29 points was his 18th 20 point or more game of the season …the Knicks are now 2-14 on the road.
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