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.
The Oakland A’s vs. Texas Rangers game that was scheduled to be played on Saturday night was canceled due to rain. Normally a team would be upset about a postponed game and looming doubleheader later in the season, but that may not be the case the A’s.
The team has not had a day off since March 28. The A’s will have Monday and Thursday off next week, but after the grind Oakland has been on since traveling to Japan to open the season, they can use all the days of rest they can get.
This game has been rescheduled as a day-night doubleheader to be played on June 8th.
The rainout will affect the A’s starting rotation. Brett Anderson will make the start on Sunday as scheduled. Marco Estrada – who was set to start on Saturday – will now take the hill on Tuesday versus the Astros in game one of that two-game series. That will also push Frankie Montas and Aaron Brooks back in the rotation.
Next Year there will be no rainouts in Texas
Globe Life Field @Rangers
Next year there will be no rainouts for the Rangers. They will simply close the roof on their new Globe Life Field and play will go on. That also means when it is hot and humid in August, day games will be played in the Metroplex.
When conditions are right – baseball will be played with the roof open in Texas @Rangers
The first pitch for the game on Sunday is scheduled for 12:05 PM PDT.
On Thursday morning, the Sacramento Kings announced that the contract of General Manager Vlade Divac had been extended through the 2022-23 season. That certainly appeared to be good news as it means there will stability in the upper management of the Kings organization for the next four seasons.
Divac made some big moves quickly
First, he fired assistant general manager Brandon Williams. Williams had been the focus of controversy since last December when coach Dave Joerger threw him out of the Kings practice facility. Joerger believed that Williams was trying to have him fired for not using Marvin Bagley III and Harry Giles III properly in games.
The unresolved tension between Joerger and Williams hung in the background of the basketball operation all season long. No one really talked about the problem, but everyone knew it existed and was unresolved. That changed Thursday morning.
One down – one to go
Ex-Sacramento head coach Dave Joerger Photo: @NBCS
After Divac sent Williams packing, there was some thought that Dave Joerger may have won the battle over Williams. Then the word came down, Joerger had been summoned to Divac’s office and the rumor leaked that Joerger was going to get a pink slip.
It did not take long for the news to be confirmed. Joerger had indeed been fired, and the Kings were in the market for a new head coach following their most successful season in a decade.
Divac tried to explain things in a press conference
Here are the highlights of his comments:
Divac thanked Joerger for being a “good teammate” and for a job well done over his three years as head coach.
Divac also expressed that he had been evaluating the team since the All-Star Break and how they could rise to the next level.
The Kings GM also expressed that he thought the team could have (reporters emphasis: should have) made the playoffs this season.
He was very clear that taking things to the next level meant going into the playoffs.
Divac made it very clear that the decision to fire Joerger was his and his alone. He did indicate that he had informed ownership of his decision.
The GM feels the Kings timing is good because they have plenty of time before the draft and free agency begins to get a new coach in place.
Divac – to no one’s surprise did not name any potential candidates for head coach. Most reporters and analyst believe that Luke Walton is the number one target on Kings’ list even though he is still employed by the Lakers as of today.
Divac also stated that Williams will not be replaced. His duties will be absorbed by Peja Stojakovic and Ken Catanella.
Next head coach of the Kings? Photo: @NBCS
Joerger did not do much to save his job
In this reporter’s opinion, Dave Joerger did not make a full court press to keep his job as head coach of the Sacramento Kings. His team went a pitiful 3-7 in their final 10 games in their effort to finish 41-41. When he should have been angry and ready to tear someone’s head off, Joerger remained stoic and apologetic for his team.
I think Joerger knew he was “a dead man walking” and had moved into a role of caretaker until the end of the season. It really is a sad ending to what was three years of hard work by Joerger and his coaching staff.
What’s next
The search and interviews begin. The Kings hope that they will be able to wrap up their coaching search quickly and with positive results.
The Sacramento Kings went to Portland on Wednesday night with the opportunity win their 40th game of the 2018-19 season which would have been the first time a Kings team had recorded 40 wins since 2005-06. Much to the chagrin of the multitude of Kings fans, the 40th win did not happen.
Portland decided to rest all of their starters and most of their key second team players. That gave the Kings a significant advantage in their quest to reach 40 wins.
A Record-Setting First Half
Buddy Hield hits his 600th 3-pointer in 3 seasons @ NBCS
The Kings started the game on fire. They scored a franchise record 87 points in the first half falling just three points short of tying the NBA record for the most points scored in the opening 24 minutes of an NBA game. They shot an incredible 66.7-percent (32/48) from the field. They hit 13-of-20 (65%) of their 3-point shots.
De’Aaron Fox scored 17 points. Rookie Marvin Bagley III scored 16 points in just over 14-minutes on the floor. Harrison Barnes, Nemanja Bjelica and Bogdan Bogdanovic all scored 10 points each in the first half.
The Kings went to the locker room at halftime with an 87-62 lead. It appeared that everything was going Sacramento’s way and that win number 40 was only 24 minutes away.
Coach Joerger’s Big Decision
Maybe that wasn’t a good idea Photo: @NBCS
Head coach Dave Joerger decided that all of his starters would not play in the second half of the game on Wednesday night. That in part may have been a tribute to the job well done by the starters and giving a well-deserved opportunity to the second team and reserves. The problem is the plan did not work.
The Trail Blazers outscored the Kings 36-26 in the third quarter and cut the Kings lead to 15 points. As the Kings went to the fourth period, you might have expected Joerger to have reinserted Hield and Fox to reenergize his team’s scoring attack. He did not do that.
Joerger chose to stay with his reserves and that decision did not go well for the team.
The Final Quarter
Portland scored 38 points in the fourth quarter while the Kings only managed to put 18 points in the book. Anfernee Simons led the Trail Blazers scoring attack with 12 points. Frank Mason scored 10 for the Kings.
When the final buzzer sounded, the Trail Blazers had defeated the Kings 136-131.
Top Performers
Portland
Anfernee Simons led all scorers with 37 points.
Former Kings player Skal Labissiere put up 27 points against his old mates. Skal made it a double-double by grabbing 15 rebounds.
Jake Layman, Meyers Leonard, and Gary Trent, Jr. all scored 19 points each in the contest.
Kings
The Kings leading scorer was Marvin Bagley III with 20 points and nine rebounds. The rookie has had an incredible season.
De’Aaron Fox and Yogi Ferrell scored 17 points each.
Bogdan Bogdanovic and Frank Mason III both scored 15 points in the game.
One Big Question to Ask
In his exit interview, this reporter thinks that head coach Dave Joerger needs to be asked why he did not do more to get win number 40 on Wednesday night. The psychological lift for the team and fans of crossing over into the 40 win plateau would have been huge. Joerger needs to be held accountable for letting that opportunity get away.
The Baltimore Orioles (5-5) are really an afterthought in the world of baseball in 2019. If you don’t think so, just ask every baseball expert in the world and they will tell you the Orioles are irrelevant. Many even call them a Triple-A team at best.
In fact, only 6585 people bothered to show up at Camden Yards to witness the O’s as they destroyed the Oakland Athletics 12-4 on Monday night. Baltimore put together 12 runs off 15 hits, while committing two errors. Their four pitchers held the A’s to just four runs on 11 hits and they committed two errors.
Baltimore jumped out to a quick 1-0 lead when Trey Mancini hit his fifth homer of the season in the bottom of the first inning off Marco Estrada. The Orioles scored three more runs in the home half of the second inning aided by a throwing error committed by Jurickson Profar. The A’s were in a 4-0 hole after just two innings.
A’s catcher Josh Phegley cut the O’s lead in half when he hit his second home run of the season — a two-run shot — off Andrew Cashner. It would be as close as the A’s would come to taking the lead in the game.
Baltimore would go on to score two in the fourth, one in the sixth and five runs in the eighth inning. The five runs were charged to Ryan Buchter (2) and Fernando Rodney (3).
The A’s (6-8) have now lost four consecutive games and are in sole possession of last place in the American League Western Division. This falls far short of the promise the opening homestand gave to the loyal #RootedinOakland fans.
At the Plate
The A’s
Mark Canha had a 1-for-3 night that included his second home run of the season. Canha scored two runs, had an RBI and walked.
Marcus Semien went 2-for-4 in the game and scored one of the A’s four runs.
Matt Chapman went 3-for-5 in the game, but did not have an RBI or score a run.
The A’s left eight men on base.
Oakland went 0-for-8 with Runners In Scoring Position.
The O’s
Martin slides in at third Photo: @Orioles
Trey Mancini led the charge for the O’s with the bat. He had a 3-for-3 night that included a two-run home run, two runs scored, two RBI and two walks.
Jonathan Villar hit his third home run of the season off Estrada. Villar picked up four RBI in the game.
Richie Martin went 3-for-4 with the bat. Martin hit a triple off Estrada. He scored three runs against the A’s on Monday night.
Cedric Mullins — the number nine hitter for the O’s — had a huge night hitting two triples off Estrada. He finished with three RBI and two runs scored.
On the Mound
A’s
Starter Marco Estrada had a very rough night. His start lasted only 4.0 innings. Estrada gave up six runs (all earned) off nine hits. He walked just one and struck out three batters. Estrada gave up two home runs.
Oakland used four relievers in the game.
Fernando Rodney had the toughest outing in relief as he was charged with three runs (all earned) off three hits.
The loss was charged to Estrada who is now 0-1 on the season.
Baltimore
Andrew Cashner (2-1) was credited with the win over the A’s. He gave up four runs (three earned) off nine hits. Cashner walked one and struck out one in his 5.1-innings on the hill.
The O’s used three relievers who pitched 3.2 scoreless innings hold the lead for Cashner.
Up Next
The A’s and Orioles will play game two of their four-game series on Tuesday at 4:05 PM PDT. LHP Brett Anderson (2-0, 2.38) will start for the A’s and LHP John Means (1-0, 1.59) will take the ball for Baltimore.
The Oakland Athletics (6-6) lost their second consecutive game to the Houston Astros on Saturday as they were shutout by a combination of five Houston pitchers. The managed to pick up six hits off the Astros pitching, but only one of those hits was for extra bases.
Oakland went 0-for-5 with RISP and left a total of nine men on base. They struck out seven times and picked up four walks. It was a classic night where strong pitching dominated professional hitting.
Houston Hurlers
Wade Miley on the mound Photo: @Astros
Wade Miley made the start for the Astros and worked 5.2-innings. Miley gave up no runs on four hits. He struck out four A’s batters and walked two hitters. Miley threw 95 pitches (56 strikes). He was credited with the win, which was his first for the season.
Will Harris, Josh James, Chris Devenski, and Framber Valdez combined to work 3.1-innings of scoreless relief for the Astros. The four relievers gave up just two hits and walked no Oakland hitters. The relief corps combined for three strikeouts.
Houston Offense (4-5)
Free-agent addition Michael Brantley led the Astros attack with the bat by going 2-for-4 at the plate with two runs scored and two RBI. Brantley hit a two-run home run in the fifth inning which was his second HR of the season.
Yuli Gurriel had a 3-for-4 day with the bat. He added one RBI to his season total.
George Springer went 2-for-4 in the game versus A’s pitching. Springer hit his third home run of the young season off Aaron Brooks in the fifth inning. The round-tripper was a two-run shot.
The Astros scored six runs off 11 hits while leaving six runners on base.
A’s Pitching
Aaron Brooks really struggled in innings four, five and six. Brooks gave up five runs on nine hits. All five runs were earned. Brooks struck out two and walked out one. He also gave up two home runs.
The A’s used three relief pitchers–Yusmeiro Petit, Liam Hendricks, and Ryan Buchter, combined–to work the final three innings. They gave up no runs off just two hits. The relievers walked one and struck out two Astro hitters.
Brooks was charged with the loss – his first of the season. Brooks record is now 1-1 on the year.
Oakland hitting
Stephen Piscotty was the A’s leader with the bat. He went 2-for-3 at the plate and picked up the only Oakland extra-base hit. Piscotty also reached base via a walk.
Khris Davis, Chad Pinder, Kendrys Morales, and Mark Canha each picked up a base hit off Houston pitching.
Unfortunately for A’s fans, the Oakland hitters were unable to put those hits together to produce runs.
BoMel’s Thoughts
Manager Bob Melvin reaction after the game was that his team ran up against some great pitching and that is sometimes just too much to overcome. In other words, tomorrow is another day.
Up Next
The A’s and Astros will wrap up their three-game series on Sunday with a game that is scheduled to begin at 11:10 AM on Sunday morning. RHP Mike Fiers will make his fourth start of the season. His record is 2-1 with a 3.00 ERA.
RHP Brad Peacock will make the start for the Astros. It will be his second start of the season. Peacock is 1-0 with a 1.35 ERA.
Buddy Hield shoots a 3-point basket Photo: Charlie O. Mallonee
By Charlie O. Mallonee
SACRAMENTO — The Sacramento Kings won their 39th game of the 2018-19 season on Thursday night as they defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers 117-104. It was not an easy win. The Kings had to earn this victory. The Cavs are not a great team, but they are professional basketball players who belong on an NBA court.
The Cavs may have never held the lead in the game, but they did cut the Kings’ lead to just one point with 4:40 to go in the third quarter. Sacramento was able to make a surge in order to take a nine-point lead into the final period.
The Cavs reduced the Kings lead to just six points at the 8:03 mark in the fourth quarter, but Sacramento with the help of Marvin Bagley III and Bogdan Bogdanovic opened up a lead that would never put them in danger of losing the game again.
With the win, the Kings sweep the season series from the Cavaliers who drop to 19-60 for the campaign.
SAC is one game away from winning 40
Some fans have asked — is winning 40 a big deal? Yes, it is. The Kings won 27 games last season. Most analysts projected them win between 30-35 games this season (this reporter projected them to win 32). To improve their win-loss record by 13 wins and climb into the 40-wins stratosphere is psychologically a big deal for a young team.
As a Western Conference team, the Kings will have to win 45-47 games next season just to make it into the playoffs. If they can win 40 games, they will know what it takes to get where they need to be in order to reach the next level.
This team has already has recorded the best win total for a Kings deal team since the 2005-06 season. Winning game number 40 would make them the first Sacramento team to win at least 40 games since that 2005-06 team won 44 games.
Dave Joerger postgame thoughts
Thought it was a good win
Getting to 40 wins is a big deal
Tonight, it didn’t feel like we made a lot of shots; they did make a lot of shots
Out defensive activity was good — steals, deflections forced 22 turnovers
We took care of the ball — seven turnovers that resulted in just eight points
We scored points in the paint which was huge for us (SAC 62 CLE 54)
When we moved the ball and we got in the paint, we were more successful
Top Performances
Fox takes it to the hoop Photo: Charlie O. Mallonee
Kings
Buddy Hield was the game’s leading scorer with 23 points shooting 9-for-16 from the field. He hit 5-of-11 from downtown. Hield needs just six 3-point baskets to beat Damian Lillard’s record of 599 three-pointers in the first three seasons of a players career.
Bogdan Bogdanovic had a strong game coming off the bench to score 18 points in just over 27 minutes of playing time. “Bogi” shot 7-for-13 from the floor including four 3-point baskets. He also dished out five assists. Bogdanovic seemed to play with more energy than he has in some time.
De’Aaron Fox bounced back nicely after having a disappointing game versus the Rockets. Fox recorded a double-double scoring 16 points and distributing 10 dimes.
Marvin Bagley III played only 20 minutes, but he made the most of his time on the floor. MB35 put up 15 points and grabbed eight rebounds. His play was very important to the Kings opening up their lead in the fourth quarter.
Odd facts: the Kings were outrebounded by the Cavs 50-36 in this game. The Kings made 12 steals while the Cavaliers managed only three steals. Sacramento only turned the ball over seven times while Cleveland turned over 22 times.
Cleveland
Larry Nance, Jr, jams home Photo: Charlie O. Mallonee
Jordan Clarkson was the Cavs leading scorer with 22 points. Clarkson came off the bench to play just over 31 minutes and shoot 9-for-13 from the field.
Point guard Colin Sexton was very impressive in almost 38 minutes on the floor. For a player who is not supposed to shoot well, he was very impressive as a shooter. Sexton hit 8-of-14 shots overall and 3-of-5 from 3-point land.
Second-year player Cedi Osman recorded 17 points and three assists. He was key to the Cavs first half performance.
Cleveland shot 54.3-percent (44/81) for the game and hit 11-of-25 (44%) 3-point attempts.
Up Next
The Kings left immediately after the game for Salt Lake City where they will play the Jazz on Friday night.
The Cavaliers boarded their buses and headed for the Bay Area where they will face the Golden State Warriors tomorrow night.
Barnes tries to contain Harden Photo: Charlie O. Mallonee
By Charlie O. Mallonee
SACRAMENTO — The Sacramento Kings goal of finishing the season with a 41-41 record took a serious hit on Tuesday night when the Houston Rockets beat them 130-105 at the Golden 1 Center. The young, upstart Kings never held a lead in the game. The win gave Houston a four-game season-series sweep over Sacramento.
In his postgame comments, Kings head coach Dave Joerger noted that the Rockets have beat his team by over 20 points on average in all four games this season. He later would point out that the Rockets as a team are staffed with great players.
Why Did the Kings Lose?
Sacramento lost the game because they could not shut down the dynamic 3-point shooting of the Rockets. Houston literally made it “rain” 3-pointers at they attempted 61 shots from behind the arc and hit 26 of them. The 26 made 3-point shots tied the Rockets NBA record for most 3-point shots made in a game that they set against the Wizards back on December 19, 2018, at home in Houston.
The Rockets made 46 of their 94 field goal attempts (48.9%) in the contest. They converted 26 of their 61 3-point field goal attempts (42.6%). Yes, you are reading that correctly. The majority of the Rockets’ field goals made and attempts were from long range. Houston was very happy to trade 3-point baskets for Kings 2-point baskets all night long.
The Kings shot 44.2-percent overall (42/95) and went 7-for-23 (30.4%) from downtown.
Dave Joerger was not happy after the game
“We did not come with the mental or physical attitude of playing with some force and (weren’t) mentally locked in enough. We can’t play that way. We’re better than that. That’s disappointing if we had a hangover from a long trip – a bunch of games – young guys – but we cannot let go of the rope and we’re not going to.”
Top Performers
Bagley and Capela prepare to battle for the rebound Photo: Charlie O. Mallonee
Kings (38-40)
Buddy Hield was the Kings leading scorer with 20 points. He shot 8-for-16 and four of his field goals were 3-pointers. Hield also grabbed seven rebounds and added five assists.
Marvin Bagley III put 19 points up on the board to go with eight rebounds.
Nemanja Bjelica scored 12 points and went 6-for-7 from the floor.
Sacramento outrebounded Houston 51-43.
Rockets (50-28)
Harden gets ready to score three of his 36 points Photo: Charlie O. Mallonee
James Harden was the leading scorer in the game with 36 points, and he made it a double-double by dishing out 10 assists. He went 12-for-19 shooting and seven of those buckets were 3-pointers.
Eric Gordon and Danuel House, Jr. each scored 19 points for the visiting Rockets.
Chris Paul scored seven points and distributed 12 dimes.
Kenneth Faried posted a double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds.
Up Next
The Kings return to action on Thursday night when they will host the Cleveland Cavaliers.
The Rockets play the second game of a back-to-back on the road in Los Angeles versus the Clippers on Wednesday night.
Stephen Piscotty singles in the seventh inning Photo: Charlie O. Mallonee
By Charlie O. Mallonee
OAKLAND –The Oakland Athletics (2-3) recorded their second win of the 2019 season as they defeated the Los Angeles Angels 4-2 on Saturday night. The keys to the win were the strong starting pitching of Brett Anderson and the timely hitting of the A’s batters.
Brett Anderson did not pitch perfect in his first three innings of work. He walked the Angels leadoff batter in the top of the first, but escaped without that man scoring. Anderson issued another walk and gave up a single in the second inning without it costing him a run. In the third inning, the lefty gave up a double to Mike Trout without it producing a run. Things were going Anderson’s way.
The A’s started slow The Angels starter — Felix Pena — no-hit the A’s through the first 2.2-innings. It appeared that the A’s hitters were going to be in for a very long night.
In the bottom of the third inning with two out and the bases empty, A’s catcher Josh Phegley singled to left-center field. Robbie Grossman then singled through the hole between first and second moving Phegley up to second base. Pena then hit Matt Chapman with a pitch to load the bases.
Stephen Piscotty stepped into the batter’s box and hit a 3-1 pitch up the middle that brought Phegley and Grossman home to score. The A’s took a 2-0 lead into the top of the fourth inning.
There is power in the East Bay It did not take the A’s long to pad their lead. The newest member of the team — Kendrys Morales — walked to leadoff the home half of the fourth inning. With two out and Morales still at first, Mark Canha hit a 2-1 pitch from Pena over the wall into the left field seats for a two-run home run which he punctuated with “controlled” bat flip to celebrate the big hit as he exited the batter’s box. It was his first home of the season and his RBI’s of the campaign.
The home run was the end of Felix Pena’s night as he was replaced by Noe Ramirez. It would not be the end of Pena’s pain as he would be tagged with the loss.
Piscotty at first with Khris Davis at bat Photo: Charlie O. Mallonee
The Angles mounted a rally The A’s brought J.B. Wendelken in to relieve Anderson in the seventh inning. He continued pitching in the eighth, and things got tough quickly.
David Fletcher reached base for the Angels on a throwing error. Zack Cozart then doubled to left moving Fletcher up to third. Mike Trout then hit a fly ball to deep right field that was caught by Piscotty, but Fletcher was able to score from third while Cozart went from second to third.
Andrelton Simmons then singled through the hole on the left side of the infield that sent Cozart across the plate for the second Angels run of the inning. That would signal the end of the night for Wendelken. Blake Treinen was summoned from the bullpen.
A passed ball allowed Simmons to move up 90-feet to second base. Albert Pujols then singled to left sending Simmons to third base with just one out. A pinch runner was placed on first for Puljos. Treinen then struck out Justin Bour on a called third strike (Bour did not agree with the call) and Jonathon Lucroy ended the inning by popping out the second baseman.
As the game moved to the bottom of the eighth, the A’s still had a 4-2 lead, which would ultimately become the final score.
Key facts and figures For Oakland, they scored four runs off seven hits and committed one error. The A’s left six men on base and went 1-for-3 with RISP.
The win goes to Brett Anderson (1-0) his first of the season. Blake Treinen gets credit for his first save of 2019.
The Angels (1-2) put up two runs off six hits and did not commit any errors. The Halos left seven runners on base and went 2-for-11 with Runners In Scoring Position (ouch).
Felix Pena (0-1) is the losing pitcher.
Davis is thrown out at first base Photo: Charlie O. Mallonee
Post Game Notes A’s
Brett Anderson made it three consecutive starting pitchers for Oakland to work six or more scoreless innings. That is the first time that has happened since August 24-26, 2005 when was done by Saarloos, Zito, and Blanton.
Brett Anderson now has a 34.1-inning scoreless streak at home in the Coliseum. That is the longest scoreless streak by an A’s pitcher since the team moved to Oakland in 1968.
After going 0-for-7 to start the season, Josh Phegley picked up his first hit of the season in this game.
Marcus Semien extended his hitting streak to five games after hitting a single in the sixth inning.
Angels
Felix Pena does not like pitching in Oakland. In four career games, he is now 0-2 with an 8.97 ERA.
Mike Trout had a 1-for-3 game on Saturday night. He hit a double and a sacrifice fly. For his career, Trout is now batting .312 (149-for-477) with 30 home runs and 75 RBIs versus the A’s.
Albert Puljos recorded two hits in the game and now needs just five hits to tie Ichiro Suzuki for 22nd on the all-time hits list.
Up Next The A’s and Angels wrap up their four-game series on Sunday at 1:07 PM. Los Angeles will send LHP Tyler Skaggs to the hill to make his first start of the season. Making his first start of the year for Oakland, it will be RHP Frankie Montas.
Kings starting five in New Orleans Photo @SacramentoKings
by Charlie O. Mallonee
The Sacramento Kings are now on the verge of mathematical elimination from playoff contention after losing to the Pelicans in New Orleans 121-118 on Thursday night. The Kings chances of making the playoffs were remote, but now, they are non-existent.
The Kings are just 14-23 on the road after the loss in New Orleans. That really is not surprising for a young team like Sacramento. Learning to win on the road in the NBA is one of the most difficult lessons to learn for a young team.
The biggest lead in this game was nine points by the Pelicans. The game was tied 13 times and the lead changed between the teams 15 times. This was the very essence of what is defined as a “close game”.
Julius Randle put a driving layup through the basket for the Pelicans with 8.7-seconds to go in the game to give New Orleans a 121-118 lead.
Buddy Hield took a potential game-tying 3-point shot from 28 feet away from the basket with 4.0-seconds remaining on the clock. Unfortunately for the Kings, the shot was not good and the Kings would lose by three points.
The loss dropped the Kings record to 37-38 on the year with seven games to play on the schedule. The Pelicans are now 32-45 for the season.
Key Performers in the Game
Koufos drives on Randle Photo @NBCS
Kings
Buddy Hield – the Pels former first-round draft pick – was Sacramento’s leading scorer with 27 points. He shot 11-for-21 from the floor but went just 1-for-8 from 3-point range.
De’Aaron Fox recorded a double-double by scoring 25 points and dishing out 12 assists. Fox hit 11-of-22 his shots from the field. He also grabbed five rebounds, made three steals, and had one blocked shot.
Willie Cauley-Stein also put a double-double in the book by scoring 18 points and hauling in 12 rebounds. WCS who has struggled at the charity stripe went 4-for-4 at the free throw line on Thursday night.
Bogdon Bogdanovic scored 14 points in just over 18 minutes of playing time.
Marvin Bagley III and Harrison Barnes each scored 10 points.
The Kings were outscored in the paint 74-64.
The Pelicans won the battle of 2nd chance points 14-9.
New Orleans
Julius Randle was the leading scorer in the contest with 34 points. He hit 12-of-24 shots from the floor and went a perfect 7-for-7 from the free throw line. Randle made it a double-double game by pulling down 10 rebounds.
Christian Wood came off the bench and scored 25 points in just over 27 minutes on the floor. He sank 11 of his 16 shots.
Elfrid Payton put 16 points up on the board shooting 50-percent from the floor (7/14). He also recorded nine rebounds.
Anthony Davis did not play due to “lower back spasms”.
Up Next
The Kings traveled to Houston after the game and will take on the Rockets on Saturday night.
The Pelicans will host the “hapless” LA Lakers on Sunday.
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