Category: NBA

Golden State Warriors podcast with David Zizmor: Warriors host one of the NBA’s hottest teams the Suns tonight at Chase

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Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker (1) shoots over Philadelphia 76ers forward Danny Green at the Footprint Arena in Phoenix on Sun Mar 27, 2022. The Golden State Warriors host the Suns tonight at the Chase Center in San Francisco (AP News photo)

On the Warriors podcast with David:

#1 Dave, the Golden State Warriors (48-28) have lost six of their last seven games and have lost three in a row. Its seems that when Stephen Curry is present in the line up this team is on it’s A game without him they either are in close games or as you see in their last seven games struggle to win.

#2 Warriors head coach Steve Kerr was ejected during their last game against the Memphis Grizzlies (53-23) do you see this as just frustration or Kerr really knows this team is not the same winning team they were in the first half of this season.

#3 Things don’t get any easier as the host Devin Booker and the Phoenix Suns (64-14) who’ve won eight in row and defeated one of the best teams in the NBA the Philadelphia 76ers (46-29) by ten 114-104 in Phoenix. Do you see the Warriors who host the Suns having their hands full tonight at Chase Center?

Join David Zizmor for the Warriors podcasts each Wednesday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Kings Can’t Stand The Heat: Miami cruises, snaps Sacramento’s modest win streak

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By Morris Phillips

Once the Heat established themselves on Monday, little space remained for the Kings to be who they are, or who they want to be for that matter.

How’s that?

“We got back to being who we are,” Miami’s Jimmy Butler said after he led the Heat to a 123-100 win over the Kings with his 27 points and seven assists. The Heat snapped a four-game slide with the win, and looked like the Eastern Conference leaders they’ve been in the latter stages of this season in the process.

Bam Adebayo also had a big night for Miami with 22 points, 15 rebounds and Tyler Herro added 20 in 29 minutes off the bench.

“Felt amazing to get back in the winning column,” Herro said.

The Kings (27-49) had their moment early, leading 6-0 briefly before the host’s grueling style wore down the visitors and their thinned rotation. Miami scored the next nine points and never looked back. Sacramento managed just 19 points in the first quarter, and they trailed by 12. The deficit grew to 16 at the half, and 25 points after three quarters. Most notably, the Kings improved defensive play took the night off as they surrendered 101 points with eight minutes left in the game.

Davion Mitchell play was once again an eye-opener for the Kings as he led them with 21 points and nine assists in 41 minutes on the floor. Drafted for his high-level, defensive intensity, the rookie continues to show polish in all facets of his performance.

“(It’s hard) playing him 40 minutes every night and guarding the best player,” coach Alvin Gentry said. “But he accepts that and goes out and does the very best he can. I think you can see the improvement, the improvement in his decision-making. The effort has always been there defensively, so we just have to continue to get better.”

Harrison Barnes added 17 points as the Kings played without the quartet of Domantas Sabonis, De’Aaron Fox, Terence Davis and Richaun Holmes for the fourth straight game. The Kings squandered an opportunity to win a third, consecutive road game and have lost 13 of 18.

The Kings conclude a five-game road swing with games at Houston on Wednesday and Friday. According to the Sacramento Bee’s Jason Anderson, an improbable 6-0 finish to the season–all against Western Conference opponents–could net the Kings the needed tie breakers to nab the 10th spot in the Western Conference. Possible, but highly unlikely as the Kings have yet to win four in a row this season.

The visit concluded Sacramento’s schedule against Eastern Conference teams. They finished 10-20 against the East, a major reason they likely will miss the playoffs for a 16th straight season.

Grizzlies Pick Golden State Apart 123-95; Loss is Warriors third in a row

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Grizzlie Adams: Memphis Grizzlies’ Steven Adams (4) loses the ball as the Golden State Warriors’ Gary Payton ll, left gets a grip on it at the Fed Ex Forum in Memphis Mon Mar 28, 2022 (AP News photo)

Grizzlies Pick Golden State Apart 123-95

By Barbara Mason

It has been less than a week for the Warriors on this current road trip but it has felt like much longer. It has been a more than frustrating trip and one of the most important components for the Warriors did not accompany the team and that is the three point shot. It has been MIA.

Monday night the Warriors (48-28) played their last game of the road trip against the Memphis Grizzlies (53-23). Klay Thompson and Draymond Green did not play in this game although Andre Iguodala was able to play after a bit of an absence.

It was great to have him back on the floor The Memphis Grizzlies will still be without Ja Morant who will be re-evaluated in several weeks.

The Warriors were able to stay close in the first quarter trailing 20-16. The shots from downtown were few and far between for Golden State as were every shot they took. Both teams looked awful. The Warriors looked like a team that had played 5 games in seven days; low energy and just absolutely dragging. It had really taken a toll.

The Grizzlies came to life in the second quarter and really went to work on the Warriors. Not only were the Warriors shots from downtown missing, their entire offense was missing. They were sleepwalking through the entire first half.

The Grizzlies were picking the Warriors apart leading 63-37 at the half. The only Warrior in double digits was Jordan Poole with ten points. When you ask if this game could get any worse, the answer is yes. As the quarter came to an end Head Coach Steve Kerry was ejected in the closing seconds of the half. This was the Warriors second largest deficit this season.

The Warriors had to try to finish this game on a good note. It would take all they could muster to get some energy going because it sure looked like the tank was completely empty.

The Warriors just had to play possession to possession in the third quarter and ignore the scoreboard. Memphis continued to toy with the Warriors and continuing to extend their lead although ever so slightly.

In all fairness the Warriors scored 37 points in the first half and 30 points in the third quarter. They played a better game and the Grizzlies barely edged them in the quarter 32-30. Memphis took a 95-67 lead into the fourth quarte

As the fourth quarter came to an end the Warriors had suffered their worst loss of the season 123-95. While it was a terrible loss there were some bright spots. Jordan Poole had his 14th straight game with 20 plus points scoring 25 points in this one. The return of Andre Iguodala was another bright spot.

Right now the most important thing for the Warriors is to get home safely and regroup. This has to be the worst road trip that the team has had all season. With six games left in the regular season the sting of this road trip has to be left behind.

The team needs to get healthy and play a few games to get their rhythm and flow going into the playoffs.

Wednesday night the Warriors will be taking on the best team in the NBA, the Phoenix Suns. This will be another tough assignment for Golden State. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:00 PM.

Sacramento Kings podcast with Morris Phillips: Kings face an angry and hungry Heat club tonight in Miami

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It wasn’t pretty Miami Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra (left) and Jimmy Butler (22) were trying to get at each other but teammates stepped in between during game against the Golden State Warriors on Sun Mar 20, 2022 in Miami. The Heat host the Sacramento Kings tonight and Miami have lost four straight games thus far. (photo from the New York Post)

On the Kings podcast with Morris:

#1 Morris the Sacramento Kings (27-48) have shown a lot of improvement over their last three games winning two out of three. The Kings going into tonight’s game in Miami have defeated the Indiana Pacers and the Orlando Magic their getting key help from Davion Mitchell, Harrison Barnes and Donte DiVincenzo.

#2 This game tonight might be more of a challenge for the Kings as the Miami Heat (47-28) have lost four in a row and Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra and Jimmy Butler who verbally spared in a recent loss are angry and hungry for a win.

#3 The Kings have a 11-25 road record and are ninth in the Western Conference with 100.5 points. Like we said they have improved over their last three games nearly beating one of the best teams in the NBA. The Heat will be fired up tonight after losing four straight the Kings will need to be on their A game on both sides of the basketball tonight.

#4 The Heat took loses against the Philadelphia 76ers, Golden State Warriors, New York Knicks, and in their last game against the Brooklyn Nets. Looking at this this has to be shocking for a second place Eastern Conference team.

#5 The Kings Domantas Sabonis is out with a left knee which does not have any structural damage after going through an MRI last week. Sabonis is up for reevaluation this week. Morris they could use a guy like Sabonis in the line up tonight against the Heat.

Join Morris Phillips for the Sacramento Kings podcasts Mondays at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Golden State Warriors podcast with Barbara Mason: Warriors drop fifth game out of six; Also Barbara’s favorite moment from the Oscar Awards

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Golden State Warriors guard Klay Thompson (11) goes for two against the Washington Wizards guard Ish Smith (4) at the Capital One Arena in Washington on Sun Mar 27, 2022 (AP News photo)

On the Warriors podcast with Barbara:

#1 Barbara is it pretty evident with no Stephen Curry the Golden State Warriors (48-27) have lost their way?

#2 The Washington Wizards who defeated the Warriors on Sunday 123-115 had lost four of their last eight games playing .500. a team that were the underdogs but the way the Warriors have been playing it’s a safe bet not to go near this one.

#3 The Wizards who got an eight point win over the Warriors held close leads for most of the game and hung on to defeat Golden State. The Wizards got scoring help from Corey Kispert 25 points, Kristaps Porzingis 23 points, and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope who had 22 points.

#4 Warriors leading scorers Jordan Poole led with 26 points, Klay Thompson 25, Andrew Wiggins with 24, maybe they should give Draymond Green the ball more often he finished seven.

#5 Don’t get fresh with the Fresh Prince: Barbara getting off the Warriors subject you had a chance to watch the Oscar Awards tonight the highlight was when comedian Chris Rock got slapped in the face in front of a live audience on live TV by Comedian Will Smith after Rock made a joke about the Fresh Prince’s wife Jada Smith being GI Jane 2. It was a hard slap delivered by Smith right on the face of Rock who was stunned. What was more stunning is Smith dropping the F bomb telling Rock “Keep my wife’s name out of your f—–g mouth” not once but twice.

Join Barbara for the Golden State Warriors podcast Mondays at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Again, No Second Half Surge For Warriors; Wizards 123 Warriors 115

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Washington Wizards forward Corey Kispert (24) takes a shot against the Golden State Warriors at the Capital One Center in Washington DC on Sun Mar 27, 2022 (AP News photo)

Again, No Second Half Surge For Warriors; Wizards 123 Warriors 115

By Barbara Mason

Sunday afternoon the Warriors (48-27) took on the Washington Wizards (32-42) at Capital Arena. They would play the game with the same lineup as their game against the Atlanta Hawks Friday night in a losing effort 121-110.

The Warriors had a great offensive game in the first half of that matchup but the defense was lacking and would have to be cleaned up. The Warriors couldn’t keep up dropping their second straight game to the Wizards 123-115.

The Warriors have fallen 3.5 games behind the second place Memphis Grizzlies but are 3.0 games ahead of the fourth place Utah Jazz in the Western Conference. There have been numerous scenarios of just who the Warriors could meet in the first round of the playoffs.

I believe that if you plan to win a championship it doesn’t matter who you play. You have to be equipped to beat every team in the playoffs. You have to be able to beat the best of the best.

The Wizards had a nice first quarter leading mid-way through the game 14-7. The Warriors had some open looks in the quarter but were not able to put points on the board. Their defense looked good and they needed their offense to start clicking.

Despite being outplayed in the opening quarter and shooting only 33% the Warriors were still in this game. The Wizards led 28-24 going into the second quarter and Golden State had to find their offense.

The Warriors fell behind 48-37 mid-way through the second quarter. They had to start stringing some stops together and take away the momentum that the Wizards were playing with.

Washington was confident offensively building a 51-37 lead and the Warriors needed to shut down their rhythm and make a run before the half. After trailing by 18 the Warriors made up some ground at the half. The Wizards led 59-51.

The third quarter was equally as frustrating for Golden State. Every time they got a little momentum going they would either fail to score or turn the ball over. The Warriors were 7 of 25 on three’s through three quarters. Washington continued to lead 92-81.

The fourth quarter went from bad to worse when Draymond Green was hit with a technical foul four minutes into the quarter. The Wizards were having their best three point shooting game of the season. The Warriors could not take the Wizards out of this game giving the Wizards their 30th second win of the season 123-115. For the Warriors it was simply no offense – no win.

Outscored by 24 points from behind the three point line the Warriors struggled from the get go. They did get some offensive work from Jordan Poole with 26, Klay Thompson 25 and Andrew Wiggins with 23.

Draymond Green had a tough game struggling with too many turnovers seven points, six assists and only five rebounds. It was the shots from downtown that failed Golden State. It was an ugly loss for the Warriors and Golden State had lost another game that they had no business losing.

The Warriors will finish this disappointing road trip tomorrow taking on the second place Memphis Grizzlies. This will be a very challenging game especially if they play the way that they played against the Wizards. Tipoff is scheduled for 5:00 PM.

Kings Hold Off Magic In Overtime 114-110

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Orlando Magic guard Cole Anthony, right, gets fouled by Sacramento Kings guard Davion Mitchell at the Amway Center in Orlando Sat Mar 26, 2022 (AP News photo)

Kings Hold Off Magic In Overtime 114-110

By Barbara Mason

Saturday night the Sacramento Kings (27-48) took on the Orlando Magic (20-55) at Amway Center. Neither team is playoff bound. Orlando sits at the bottom of the Eastern Conference while the Kings are in 13th place in the Western Conference. The Kings made work of the Magic picking up their 27th win of the season with a 114-110 win on Saturday in overtime.

It is hard to believe that there are only eight games left in the season. In their last meeting back on Dec 8th in Sacramento the Kings came away with a 142-130 win. The Magic were slightly favored in this game playing at home.

The Kings are coming off a win against the Indiana Pacers in a close one 110-109 last Thursday. The high scorer in this game was Davion Mitchell who shot for 25 points and had 7 assists. The rookie has really been elevating his game since moving into the starting lineup last week.

He is averaging 26.5 points and eight assists in the last two games. In the Kings win over the Pacers seven players reached double digits. The team were relying heavily on Mitchell since De’Aaron Fox will not take the court tonight with a hand injury.

The Kings got a fast start in the first quarter taking a 41-28 lead, a high scoring quarter for Sacramento. The Magic started to turn things around in their favor outscoring the Kings 34-25 in the second quarter and at the half the Kings were holding onto a slim 66-62 lead.

Davion Mitchell was carrying the load in this game scoring 20 pts though three quarters. The Magic took a slim lead after three quarters 84-81. Franz Wagner and Mo Bamba were keeping Orlando in this game.

The Kings had to contain Wagner and Bamba going into the fourth quarter. Finishing games has been a problem for Sacramento this year and they need to finish this one if they hope to win. With five minutes left in the game the Magic held a slim 98-95 lead.

With 3:36 left in the game the Magic were making a move and the Kings were having trouble defending it. With the Magic continuing to lead 105-98 and 1:14 left in the game the Kings fought back and when the quarter came to an end the score was tied at 105 and they would go into overtime. The Kings had a second chance.

With 33.2 seconds left in overtime the score remained tied at 110. The Kings would take a 113-110 lead with 12 ticks left on the clock.

The Kings would hang onto this game and finish off the Magic in overtime. This was a gutsy performance by Sacramento with once again seven players scoring in double digits, Mitchell was the high with 22 points, nine assists and seven rebounds.

The Kings will next be facing the Eastern Conference leading Miami Heat. Tipoff Is scheduled for Monday at 4:30 PM.

Atlanta Prevails Over Golden State 121-110

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Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green (23) has a conversation official Bennie Adams during the first half at State Farm Arena Fri Mar 25, 2022 (AP News photo)

Atlanta Prevails Over Golden State 121-110

By Barbara Mason

After the incredible win against the Eastern Conference leading Miami Heat (47-27), the Warriors (48-26) took on the Hawks (37-37) in Atlanta Friday night. The young’uns played the game of their lives on Wednesday and it sure would have been fun to see them again in tonight’s game but with Klay Thompson and Draymond Green back on the court the starting roster will look different.

Chances are that those guys were pretty tired after the Magic game playing more minutes than they are used to under normal circumstances. Jordan Poole and Jonathan Kuminga would join Thompson, Green and Wiggins to start this game.

There have been ups and downs in the month of March for the Warriors so what we would see tonight was uncertain. We were soon to find out.

The first quarter was the start that we hoped for from the Warriors. Golden State was leading after the first twelve minutes 42-36. Poole and Thompson had an amazing start in this game. 42 points in one quarter was a great start for the team.

The Warriors led by as much a 11 points in the second quarter but fell behind to trail 69-67 after two quarters. Thompson and Poole continued to lead the team but there were three missed threes in the late minutes of the half. The Warriors were having a great offensive game but they needed more defense having allowed the Hawks to shoot 60% in the first half. There was some work to do in the second half.

The Warriors offense had cooled significantly in the third quarter as the Hawks took a nine point lead 86-77 mid-way through the quarter. Trae Young was making life pretty miserable for Golden State, taking over the game. The Warriors offense needed to wake up since they had pretty much gone to sleep. The offense we saw in the first quarter was no where to be found. They trailed 101-83 after three.

When it looked as if the Warriors were doomed in this game they came storming back in the fourth quarter trailing by five points with 5:12 left in the game. There were some anxious moments in the game when if looked as if Jordan Poole had been pinned with his fifth foul.

After a review it was determined that he did not foul and the Warriors would still have Poole on the floor. The Warriors desperately needed some defense and just could not produce any. The Hawks came away with a 121-110 win.

Despite Golden State overcoming an 18 point deficit to pull within three points the Hawks had just enough left in the tank to beat Golden State.

The offense in the first quarter of this game was a good one and when this game finished Thompson had scored 37 points and Poole with 24. Gary Payton II had 14 points off the bench. The third quarter was the turning point for the Warriors. The Hawks outscored Golden State in that quarter 32-16 and that spelled another loss for the Warriors.

The Warriors will continue their road trip on Sunday taking on the Washington Wizards. Tipoff is schedule for 3:00 PM.

Sacramento Kings podcast with Jeremiah Salmonson: Close win ends Kings three game loss streak over Pacers; Sac in Orlando Saturday

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Indiana Pacers guard Buddy Hield (24) passes the ball past Sacramento Kings guard Davion Mitchell (15) at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis on Wed Mar 23, 2022 (AP News photo)

On the Kings podcast with Jeremiah:

#1 Jeremiah, the Sacramento Kings (26-48) got a last second tip in by Damian Jones that just got the Kings over the hump and defeated their hosts the Indiana Pacers (25-48) 110-109 on Wednesday night in Indiana.

#2 The Kings Trey Miles took a three point shot but with just 0.2 seconds left on the clock that missed and Jones jumped and tipped in the shot for the winner. Jones and the Kings have played much improved basketball of late.

#3 The Kings had lost three straight game previous to coming to Indiana and Kings head coach Alvin Gentry says the Kings have struggling on the road and winning Wednesday’s game against the Pacers was important.

#4 Gentry said he knows what Jones can do on being aggressive on the boards and Jones had a great block and got the winning tip.

#5 The Orlando Magic (20-54) have been playing .500 ball of late winning four of their last eight they lost their last game Wednesday to the Oklahoma City Thunder (21-52) 118-102 but one thing about the Magic lately you just don’t know which team is going to show up. The Magic and Kings go at it Saturday night in Orlando.

Jeremiah does the Kings podcasts each Friday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Finding An Edge: Kings tip Pacers ahead of the final buzzer, and get the last word on the Haliburton trade

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By Morris Phillips

In a game featuring some spirited competition, and some intentioned, pointed side glances, no one was particularly interested in saying just how important getting a win was.

Well, one guy, Sacramento’s Damian Jones, who tipped in the game-winner with less than a second remaining, didn’t hesitate to say what was on his mind. After all, that is what winners do.

“It was good to see Tyrese and Buddy. It felt good to rub it in,” Jones said after the Kings robbed the Pacers 110-109 in Indianapolis.

In a match-up that featured players traded in the second-most discussed trade deadline deal, most notably the Pacers’ Tyrese Haliburton and Buddy Hield, the Kings got the last word with the win, even if they weren’t tremendously interested in exploiting the occasion by running their mouths.

“We’ve been struggling on the road,” Kings coach Alvin Gentry said. “Just to come and find a way to win a game on the road is really important to us. It makes a statement that these guys haven’t quit. They’re still battling and do the best they can to win games.”

Along with the win, the Kings got slightly worse positioning in the upcoming draft lottery, which has flattened its odds to the point neither team will notice the difference a month from now when the ping pong balls start cycling. But the speculation regarding which team made out best vis-a-vis to the trade starts now. And with Domantas Sabonis fashioning himself as a double-double machine while rookie Davion Mitchell has more than adequately replaced Haliburton in the Sacramento lineup, the Kings aren’t looking like suckers for moving their dynamic, second-year player from Iowa State.

For one, the Kings are no longer last defensively in points allowed, the Rockets are. And the Kings’ defense was noticeable in the fourth quarter Wednesday, when they held the Pacers to 20 points. And no pointing fingers, but Haliburton missed the Pacers final shot attempt with 37 seconds left which would have put them up five. Then Hield fumbled the ball out of bounds with 14 seconds remaining, opening the door for the Kings.

This time the Kings saw the open door and walked right in. Down 109-108, the Kings saw Trey Lyles miss a 3 attempt with a couple seconds left only to see Jones tap in the careening basketball just ahead of the final horn.

“I missed a layup. Buddy had a bad turnover in the full court, obviously,” Haliburton said. “I thought we were in position to win. We just didn’t execute down the stretch.”

That the Kings had to show some grit late to secure just their tenth road victory in 35 outings wasn’t surprising. But their hot shooting first was. Without Sabonis and leading scorer De’Aaron Fox, both out with injuries, the Kings couldn’t miss, shooting 72 percent in the first quarter, and still above 61 percent at halftime, when they led 66-61.