Category: NBA

Warriors Survive the Celtics 111-107

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Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) dribbles past Boston Celtics guard Marcus Smart (36) at TD Garden in Boston on Fri Dec 17, 2021 (AP News photo)

Warriors Survive the Celtics 111-107

By Barbara Mason

Now that Stephen Curry has surpassed the record set by Ray Allen a huge weight has been lifted off his shoulders. He is now able to play relaxed and free with no pressure other then trying to win games. The team is now relaxed as well and after a few days off the Golden State Warriors (24-5) should be poised and ready to take on the Boston Celtics (14-15) tonight at TD Garden.

The first quarter saw a Golden State that was light on their feet and starting fast. The Warriors led 34-26 at the end of the quarter. The Celtics had a very slow start in this game. Curry starting hitting three’s and along with Andrew Wiggins the Warriors were starting this game with a very fast pace.

At the half the Warriors had extended their lead 68-54. The first quarter was all Steph while the second quarter belonged to Andrew Wiggins. Wiggins was four of six from downtown with 24 points and Curry was three of six with 20 points. Wiggins was close to shooting 50% from downtown.

Both of these teams are known for being second half teams as they went into the third quarter. It was a horrible start in the first four plus minutes for Golden State. The Warriors were 0 for 6 with one turnover and needed to get going.

They had really cooled down letting the Celtics get within six points. The Warriors timing was way off and they were having trouble handling the Celtics intensity. Boston is especially hot at home so Golden State had to show up in the second half.

The Celtics were shooting 43% on three’s something that’s very tough to handle unless it is contained. The Warriors only had four turnovers in the entire first half but racked up five in the first six minutes of the third quarter.

Golden State barely held onto the lead as the quarter came to an end 82-81. What was most surprising is the Warriors had only 14 points in the third quarter, their lowest of the season.

The Warriors came alive in the final minutes of the fourth quarter leading 105-95. The Celtics had mounted a ferocious charge taking a brief lead in the final quarter with Jayson Tatum leading the way.

Golden State still had a lot of work left to close this game out. With 34.7 left on the clock Steph hit a floater and the Warriors were a stop away from their 24th win. A great defensive possession and Golden State won the game 109-104

It wasn’t pretty at times but great at other times and it was enough for the win. Andre Iguodala was a huge factor off the bench with 12 points, in fact the entire bench was very effective. Curry finished with thirty points and Wiggins turned in 27 points for the hard fought win 111-107. Head Coach Steve Kerr had his 400th win.

The Celtics got some great work from Jayson Tatum with 27 points from Jaylen Brown with 20.

Tomorrow the Warriors are back at it taking on the Toronto Raptors at Scotiabank Arena. Tipoff is scheduled for 4:30 PM.

Sacramento Kings podcast with Jeremiah Salmonson: Aaron Fox who led Kings in scoring Wed is in Covid 19 protocols

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Sacramento Kings Doug Christie assistant coach filling in for head coach Alvin Gentry seen here giving instructions during the first half against the Washington Wizards at Golden One Center in Sacramento on Wed Dec 15, 2021 (AP News photo)

On the Kings podcast with Jeremiah:

#1 Sacramento Kings (12-17) topped the Washington Wizards (15-14) 119-105 at Golden One Center in Sacramento on Wednesday night. The Kings guard De’Aaron Fox who led the Kings in scoring with 28 points was put on Covid 19 protocols and will not be playing on Friday night against the Memphis Grizzlies at Golden One Center.

#2 Harrison Barnes who finished with 19 points and scored 15 in the fourth quarter and that really was a difference maker after the Kings won by four points.

#3 Barnes had two three point plays and a three pointer himself that helped the Kings snap their three game losing streak.

#4 Assistant coach Doug Christie coached and led the Kings to victory on Wednesday night. Head coach Alvin Gentry, Marvin Bagley III, and Terence Davis were all out for Covid 19 protocols.

#5 The Memphis Grizzlies (18-11) who have won seven of their last eight games and defeated the Portland Trailblazers (11-18) on Wednesday night 113-103 are coming to Golden One Center tonight you’ll be covering tonight’s thriller how do you see this match up?

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

Harrison’s Hot Hand: Barnes, Kings offense come alive in 4th quarter of 119-105 win over the Wizards

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By Morris Phillips

SACRAMENTO–Say you’re not LeBron, Steph or KD. But you’re not chopped liver either, a dude with a nice deal and a niche in the vast pantheon of the NBA. If that’s your bag, then Wednesday was your night, and Sacramento’s Golden 1 Center your place.

With defense seemingly optional, shot blockers and defenders nowhere to be found, the Kings got their fit in the fourth quarter with Harrison Barnes scoring 15 of his 19 points, leading to a 119-105 home win over the Wizards.

The Kings snapped a three-game losing streak and moved ahead of the stumbling Trail Blazers in the dense Western Conference playoff hunt. Meanwhile, the Wizards have dropped six of seven, including all three on their current Western road swing.

Of course, neither coach wanted a loss here. With their season tenuous, twice interim coach Doug Christie was intent on starting in the win column, and Washington’s Wes Unseld Jr. was desperate to avoid falling within a game of .500 after an impressive 10-3 start to the season.

The harsh circumstances certainly impacted 46-year old Unseld’s thoughts. But the 51-year old Christie’s as well.

“The competitive spirit always isn’t there. The collective mind-set isn’t always there. Our care factor isn’t always there. That’s my frustration,” said Unseld, no doubt pointing to a finishing stretch Wednesday that saw Wizards score just 16 of the game’s final 58 points after leading by 12 late in the third quarter.

“For us to come back and fight the way we did … if it was easy everybody would do it, but it’s not,” Christie opined.

The day began with the news that Alvin Gentry, William Bagley Jr. and Terence Davis had entered COVID protocols and weren’t available. That elevated the 51-year old Christie into his first head coaching assignment less than a year after he resigned from his role as the team’s broadcast color voice. It also thrust Chimezie Metu, Alex Len and Moe Harkless into significant roles against the Wizards.

The Kings maintained their approach of putting their most credible defenders on the floor, and Christie was the visual reminder, given his status as one the NBA’s best defenders at his peak in 2000 through 2005. But these Kings aren’t a one-game fix. They allowed the Wizards’ three-point looks, and a one-point halftime lead which they expanded with a 32-point third quarter.

Luckily, the Kings did better with shot selection and just attacking. They also dramatically reduced their turnovers after the break. For one night, sticky defense got trumped by being persistent and getting to the basket.

De’Aaron Fox best personified Christie’s wishes by eschewing deep balls and attacking the basket on his way to a 28-point night. Davion Mitchell added 13, which justified Christie playing him 29 minutes and getting his resistance defensively.

Barnes followed and he absorbed some contact in delivering some big points down the stretch. His made free throws put the Kings up 109-98 with 3:24 remaining.

Better opponents loom immediately with Memphis up twice and a visit to San Francisco in the Kings’ next five games. So which path will they follow?

Who knows. Tyrese Haliburton couldn’t supply anymore wisdom in simply saying, “the only consistent thing we’ve done is be inconsistent.”

Curry crowned the new king of 3 pointers breaks Allen’s record with 2,974; Golden State defeats New York 105-96

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Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry takes a three point shot that would break the NBA record held by Ray Allen in the first half against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden in New York on Tue Dec 14, 2021 (AP News photo)

By Jessica Kwong

NEW YORK, NY—Golden State Warriors (23-5) guard Stephen Curry walked into Madison Square Garden on Wednesday night ready to make history against the New York Knicks (12-16) in a 105-96 win. After warming up with a range of shots – including three pointers – Curry walked up to a smiling Ray Allen, the record holder for most three-point field goals in NBA history – but not for long.

Early in the first quarter, Curry sank a three-pointer, tying the record with Allen. Then with 7:33 remaining in the quarter, off a pass from Andrew Wiggins, Curry made the splash from the right wing setting a new record: 2,974 three-pointers.

Golden State then committed a foul and called a timeout that the league let last three-and-a-half minutes to celebrate the greatest shooter of all time. Curry took in his accomplishment at backcourt, then hugged teammates, Warriors head coach Steve Kerr and finally, Allen.

“I talked to Ray last week and he mentioned just make it your own, like, there’s no right way, wrong way to celebrate it. It’s just the way you feel that moment and that’s exactly what happened,” Curry said postgame. “I’m sure as the days go on, I’ll go back to that moment and relive the emotions of it because it was like that, it was really, really awesome.”

Golden State led 12-10 after Curry’s historic shot and the score was tied at 24 at the end of the quarter. The Knicks led 48-47 at the half, but the Warriors took command in the third quarter, finishing 71-64. New York was unable to catch up in the fourth quarter and the Curry and the Warriors won 105-96.

The night ended with more glory for Curry, interviews at center court and MVP chants.

Kerr said the team fouled after Curry’s special shot to give him the moment.

“You know you have to do something you can’t just keep playing,” Kerr said, adding he noticed it was an extra long timeout that was obviously organized beforehand. “It just felt like the right thing to do to make sure we celebrate.”

Wiggins said “Steph is a humble superstar” and that “in his speech, he was just thanking other people.”

Draymond Green admitted that Curry hitting the mark was a huge relief for him and the entire team, and that they can now focus on other goals.

“Steph is the best to ever shoot a basketball,” Green said. “Tonight was a huge step in the right direction for us.”

Regarding being called the greatest shooter of all time, Curry is finally comfortable owning the title.

“I got that baby,” Curry said, raising both arms in the air.

He looks to hit many more three-pointers, but won’t say what his exact goal is.

“Now that I got past that hump I can just let it fly and see how far I can push it,” Curry said. “Whenever I’m done playing, hopefully it’s not anytime soon.”

The Warriors (23-5) lead the western conference and continue their road trip on Friday against the Boston Celtics. Tipoff is at 4:30 p.m.

Raptors use huge first half to rout Kings 124-101

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Toronto Raptors’ Pascal Siakam, left, gets two points on Sacramento Kings’ Marvin Bagley III at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto on Mon Dec 13, 2021 (AP photo via Canadian press)

By Daniel Dullum
Monday, December 13, 2021

Nine Toronto players scored in double-figures Monday night, as the Raptors defeated Sacramento 124-101 before 19,453 at ScotiaBank Arena.

It was the Raptors’ fourth win in their last five games, while Sacramento wound up winless in its three-game road trip.

The Raptors (14-14) did most of their offensive damage in the first half, taking a 70-45 lead into halftime. The 70 points was a season-high for the first two quarters for Toronto, which opened the game with an 11-0 run.

Chris Boucher led Toronto with 17 points, followed by Scottie Barnes and Pascal Siakam with 16, Malachi Flynn with 14, Fred VanVleet and Yuta Watanabe with 12 each, Svi Mykhailiuk with 11, and Gary Trent Jr. and Justin Champagne with 10 each.

Watanabe also had 10 rebounds and a steal, Siakam grabbed eight rebounds to go with four assists, Trent had four assists and three steals, and Dalano Banton added six assists off the bench for Toronto.

De’Andre Fox scored a game-high 29 points to lead the Kings (11-18). Buddy hield netted 14 points off the Sacramento bench, followed by Alex Len and Marvin Bagley III with 12 points each and Tristan Thompson with 11.

Bagley had 11 rebounds, Len had eight rebounds, and Davion Mitchell had six assists.

Toronto shot 54 percent from the floor, while the Kings shot 40 percent. Sacramento also turned the ball over 17 times.

The Kings return home on Wednesday to host the Washington Wizards at Golden 1 Center.

Warriors beat Pacers in final seconds 102-100

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Indiana Pacers forward Oshae Brissett (12) gets up tall and tries to put the stop on Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis on Mon Dec 13, 2021 (AP News photo)

Warriors Beat Pacers In The Final Seconds 102-100

By Barbara Mason

Stephen Curry finished 5 of 15 from downtown against the Pacers and so now the magic number to tie is one and two to break Ray Allen’s record. He finished the game with 26 points.

Going into tonights game we were not sure if we would be seeing Curry taking the court. As it turned out in the Golden State Warriors (22-5) Indiana Pacers (12-17) game we did see Curry take the court. The Pacers are looking for their fourth home game win tonight and of course all eyes are on Curry whose magic number before the game stood at 7. The Warriors who came off only their fifth loss this season in Philadelphia on Saturday just got by the Pacers 102-100 on Monday night.

The Warriors had a horrible first half missing shots and 11 turnovers also hurt them. They were shooting 38 percent in the first two quarters. They trailed after the first quarter 29-25 and continued to trail 55-47 at the half. They had to protect the ball and start making some of those open shots.

The third quarter was a better one for Golden State tying the game at 67 with four minutes left in the quarter. The Pacers however refused to back down and shot eight unanswered points going back out in front 75-67. At times the Warriors were capitalizing on all the attention that Curry was getting. The Warriors were close but still trailing 84-80 at the end of the third quarter. The turnovers were improved with only four in the second half.

It seems that the closer that Curry gets to breaking this record; the team has looked different. It’s hard to pinpoint but something has been off the past few games. The Warriors continued to trail in the fourth quarter of this game and the fouls were beginning to pile up. With under five minutes left in the game the pace really picked up in this game. Points off turnovers had really hurt the Warriors the entire game.

With 48 ticks left on the clock the score was tied at 100. Kevon Looney had the offensive rebound and basket of the game to take the lead 102-100 with 13 seconds left. A Pacer turnover was the difference in this game. The Warriors didn’t have the greatest game at all but managed to pull this one out 102-100. It was ugly at times, tough and gritty but Golden State bounced back in this game.

I knew I would have to attack the rim in order to open everything up,” said Draymond Green after the game. “We had too many turnovers and too many fouls. On offense we have to know where we have to be,” he said. Green had a great game with 15 points and 9 rebounds.

The Warriors will be taking on the Knicks tomorrow at Madison Square Garden. Tipoff is scheduled for 4:30 PM. There is little doubt that we will see records shattered in this game.

Golden State Warriors podcast with Barbara Mason: Curry needs 7 three pointers to tie record; 76ers Embiid “not happening on my court”

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Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) drives on the Philadelphia 76ers Joel Embiid (21), Embiid and the Sixers were on a mission to defend against Curry and allowed him only three three pointers at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia Sat Dec 11, 2021. The Warriors play the Indiana Pacers Mon Dec 13, 2021 (AP News photo)

On the Warriors podcast with Barbara:

#1 The Philadelphia 76ers (15-12) said of the Golden State Warriors (21-5) guard Stephen Curry’s attempts to try and tie or pass Ray Allen’s all time three point shot record at the Wells Fargo Center the Sixers Joel Embiid said that it was “not happening on my court.”

#2 Curry had one shot that was swatted away and another that was blocked, the Sixers were a determined group to prevent Curry from getting any where close to eclipsing Ray Allen’s all time record on their home floor, Curry scored three three pointers all night.

#3 Meanwhile Embiid was driving the offense for the 76ers with a leading 26 points, nine rebounds, and four assists as you saw it Barbara he and his teammates were determined to win this game.

#4 The 76ers Matisse Thybulle becomes the first player in the NBA to block multiple three point attempt against Curry. So you know the Sixers had a defensive game plan to stop those three point attempts by Curry. Talk about the defense of Thybulle in blocking the Curry three point attempts.

#5 Up next Golden State tips off against the Indiana Pacers (12-16) will complete a six game homestand against the Warriors on Monday night at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. The Pacers have won three straight games, they have won four of their last eight games and are looking for their fourth straight win tonight against the Warriors. Barbara how do you see the Warriors and Pacers tonight?

Join Barbara Mason for the Warriors podcasts each Monday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Warriors can’t stop 76ers Embiid lose fifth game 102-93

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The Philadelphia 76ers Joel Embiid (21) takes a shot against the Golden State Warriors Kevon Looney (5) at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia on Sat Dec 11, 2021 (AP News photo)

By Barbara Mason

Joel Embiid scored 26 points leading Philadelphia to an upset win over Golden State 102-93. The win came as a result of some exceptional defense.

So tonight the chase continues as the Warriors (21-5) took on the Philadelphia Sixers (12-16) at Wells Fargo Center. Most importantly Golden State wants to win this game and improve their record but they also want to see their team mate Stephen Curry achieve history and break Ray Allen’s record. Curry is ten three’s away from this amazing record but first and foremost in his mind is a win for his team.

The first quarter was a very inauspicious start for the Warriors. They trailed after the opening quarter 23-22. At one time in the half the Warriors were 2 for 14 on three’s. It was later in the second quarter when Curry began to heat up. For most of the first half the Sixers were making Golden State fight for every point with some outstanding defense.

The standouts in the first quarter were Andrew Wiggins and Jordan Poole. Going into the second quarter Curry got hot finishing with 15 points, two of them from downtown. At the half the team was 4 of 18 from outside. Wiggins had 12 and Poole with 10 points giving their team the lead at the half 49-46.

The third quarter belonged to Golden State for the first 12 minutes and then it began to slip away. It took the Sixers less than three minutes to pull to within three points trailing 73-70.

Philadelphia continue to pour it on in the fourth quarter. The Sixers saw a 16 point turnaround in the final quarter leading by as much as 10 points. The third and fourth quarter that we are used to seeing from Golden State did not materialize. With two minutes left in the game Philadelphia led 96-89 and the Warriors were in danger of losing their fifth game of the season.

There was no magic for the Warriors tonight. The Sixers were determined that there would be no record for Curry in their house and we all saw that in their defense which was brilliant. A lot of credit to Matisse Thybulle who had the unenviable task of guarding Curry all night.

We all know that we are going to see this record broken sooner rather than later but more importantly we want to see the Warriors get back on the winning track in their next game. They will be playing Monday night at Gainbridge Fieldhouse taking on the Indiana Pacers. Tipoff is scheduled for 4:00 PM.

Cavailers take down Kings 117-103

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Cleveland Cavaliers’ Evan Mobley (4) makes an attempt to hang onto to a pass while Sacramento Kings’ Buddy Hield (24) works on defending at the Rocket Mortgage Field House in Cleveland on Sat Dec 11, 2021 (AP News photo)

It was a tale of two halves, but in the end the same result for Sacramento.

The Cleveland Cavaliers bench helped deliver a 117-103 over the Kings on Saturday evening at Rocket Mortgage Field House.

Sacramento have lost two games in a row and four out of its last seven. Cleveland is on a hot streak as they have three games in a row and seven out of its last nine.

Cleveland (16-12) jumped out to a fast start with two runs, an 11-3 run and a 7-3 run to jump out to 18-6 lead.

The Cavaliers shot 60% from the field during the first quarter. Small forward Issac Okoro led the team with 11 points. Rookie center Evan Mobley had five points.

Buddy Hield provided the offense for Sacramento (11-16) in the first quarter with eight points.

It got worse for the Kings in the second quarter as Cleveland went on a 12-3 run in in a span of 1:35 early in second quarter to go up 55-37. The Cavaliers finished the half on a 18-4 run in the final two minutes to go up, capped off by a Mobley dunk from Darius Garland to end the half up 81-52, their biggest lead of the game.

The Kings had allowed 335 points in their last 10 quarters.

The second half saw Sacramento come out with a more aggressive attitude as they started out the third quarter with 10-0 in the first 3:20.

The Cavaliers went ice cold in the second half as they were shooting 7/28 with 5:45 left in the fourth quarter. Sacramento had outscored Cleveland 18-4 with under four minutes left to play in the fourth quarter.

Sacramento shrunk the deficit to 107-99 with just over two minutes left in the game.

However, that was as close as the Kings would get, as the Cavs went on a 10-2 run with 1:09 left to put the game away that included two three pointers from Ricky Rubio.

Rubio finished with 15 points off the bench. Cedi Osman led the Cavs bench with 18 points and Kevin Love chipped in with 11 points.

Okoro led Cleveland’s starters with 20 points. Jarret Allen has 19 points and Garland chipped in with 16.

Hield led the Kings in scoring with 21 points off the bench and Donovan Mitchell had 14. De’Aaron Fox led the starters with 13 points.

GAME NOTES: Sacramento finished 7-28 from beyond the arc. Cleveland was 12-31.

UP NEXT: Sacramento continues their road trip north of the border as the take on the Toronto Raptors on Monday at 4:00pm at Scotiabank Arena.

Kings Lose Heartbreaker to Charlotte 124-123

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Charlotte Hornets forward Miles Bridges (0) reaches up to block a shot by Sacramento Kings guard De’Aaron Fox (5) shot in the first half of action on Fri Dec 10, 2021 in the Spectrum Center Charlotte (AP News photo)

Kings Lose Heartbreaker to Charlotte 124-123

By Barbara Mason

After a hard fought game the Kings lost by a single point to the Hornets 124-123 squandering a significant lead in the third quarter .

The Sacramento Kings have won three games in a row, two of which were impressive wins over a very good Los Angeles Clippers. Los Angeles is in fifth place in the Western Conference so these wins were encouraging for Sacramento. The Kings are currently in tenth place in the Conference. They followed those wins over the Clippers with a third win over the Orlando Magic.

Tonight the Kings (11-14) took on the Charlotte Hornets (14-13) at Spectrum Center in Charlotte, NC looking for a fourth win in a row.

The first quarter was very close with the Hornets leading by the slimmest of margins 37-36. The second quarter was equally as close as the first quarter. The Kings came out on top in the quarter 35-32. At halftime Sacramento was leading 71-69 in a real dog fight.

In the third quarter the Kings led by as much as 12 points. In the final three minutes of the quarter the Hornets began to really heat up and trailed by a single point as the third quarter came to an end 99-98. The Kings had a lot of work to do in the final quarter of this game. They needed to put the stops on the surge that Charlotte finished the third quarter with.

Charlotte refused to back off in the early part of the fourth quarter and took the lead for the first time in the second half 101-99. The Kings De’Aaron Fox, Tyrese Haliburton and Terence Davis were driving this game with the help of some great work off the bench from Marvin Bagley, Buddy Hield and Davion Mitchell.

The Hornets continued to extend their lead in the final quarter. The Kings began to miss far too many shots combined with turnovers and Sacramento was really struggling and would have to dig deep to win this game. They had to regain the momentum they had going in the third quarter.

Sacramento fought hard in this game but came up just short losing 124-123. They had every opportunity to win this game but just ran out of gas. They had great efforts from Fox with 31 points, Davis with 19 and outstanding work from their bench. It was a very tough loss for the Sacramento Kings.

There will be no rest for the Kings taking on the Cleveland Cavaliers tomorrow night. The Cavs will be another tough game for the Kings as they try to get back on track. Tipoff