Category: NBA

No King? No Kings Either: Promising start devolves into a 117-92 loss against the Lakers without LeBron

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By Morris Phillips

SACRAMENTO–Alvin Gentry’s not settling for this.

The Kings’ hard earned double-digit, first half lead over the Lakers evaporated into a 25-point loss and the team’s interim coach was embarrassed.

Gentry’s been around: he was an assistant for the world champion Warriors, he’s led successful, playoff teams in New Orleans and Phoenix, and what he saw Tuesday hurt his eyes.

“They don’t deserve what they got tonight,” Gentry conceded. “As the coach of this team I want to apologize to every Kings’ fan out there.”

Worse than an embarrassed coach, the Kings had their two most recent outings as examples not to follow (loss at Memphis) or keep that blueprint (3OT win at the Lakers) and they couldn’t choose, mixing in each for one half of Tuesday’s roller-coaster.

In the first half, the Kings fought through screens defensively, controlled the glass, then backed it with 56 percent shooting and all the smart ball possession decisions they could muster. The result: a 59-50 lead at the half in which they led by as much as 13. Conversely, the Lakers looked slow, disinterested and leaderless without LeBron James, who was placed on COVID protocols earlier in the day.

But it turned out, the visitors, led by Russell Westbrook, Anthony Davis and wild card Malik Monk were surreptitiously waiting for the Kings to fall flat, and they did just that in a third quarter that was so lopsided it could decide 90 percent of all NBA games.

That was the prelude to a 67-33 wipe out, a second half that enlivened every Lakers fan who walked into Golden 1 Center and left the Kings and their crowd spent.

“A team goes on a run, you punch back and if there is no punch back, you’ll get run out the gym like we did,” Richaun Holmes said.

Holmes was actually the only Sacramento player to lift his fists in the third. The undersized center who returned after missing the three, previous games made all three of his field goal attempts while his teammates were 1 for 15. The Lakers shot 58 percent and with the Kings flailing, they needed just seven minutes to pull even at 72. But their run was just beginning: with the Kings in the midst of a stretch where they missed 17 of 18 shots, the Lakers ended the third on a 15-2 run to lead 87-74.

“We weren’t giving the necessary effort to transition defense and with our pick-and-roll coverages,” Lakers coach Frank Vogel said. “Sometimes you have to let them hear about it.”

Davis had 10 of his team-best 25 in the third, and Russell Westbrook 11 of his 23. Monk came up with the 41-foot, buzzer beater to end the first half, then got nine more in the third, finishing with 22 points.

Holmes led all scorers with 27, missing just one of his attempts from the floor. Chimezie Metu was just as integral with 14 points and 10 rebounds in the absence of the injured, front court trio of Harrison Barnes, Marvin Bagley and Moe Harkless. But all four Sacramento guards had nights to forget.

De’Aaron Fox had 17 points, but his five assists and seven turnovers were telling. Buddy Hield missed six of his seven shots and finished with five points. Rookie Davion Mitchell was a demon defensively in the first 24 minutes, but he missed 11 of his 14 shots and turned it over three times. Tyrese Haliburton missed eight of his 10 shots and finished with six points.

Rookie Louis King, a significant name from the Kings’ summer league push, got his most significant NBA minutes to date by doing a bang up defensive job on Carmelo Anthony. But King too was fallible; he shot 1 for 6 and committed four fouls in 14 minutes on the floor.

The Kings get little time to regroup, they’ll travel to Los Angeles on Wednesday to face the Clippers.

Suns Top Warriors In A Thriller 104-96; Phoenix forces 23 turnovers

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The Phoenix Suns Devon Booker (1) snuffs the Golden State Warriors Andrew Wiggins (right) at the Footprint Center in Phoenix Tue Nov 30, 2021 (AP News photo)

Suns Top the Warriors In A Thriller 104-96

By Barbara Mason

In the absence of Devin Booker, Deandre Ayton, Chris Paul and Jae Crowder picked up the slack to power the Suns to a brilliant win over the Golden State Warriors 104-96.

Tuesday night fans got to enjoy the two best shooting teams in the NBA today in a battle of the Titans; the Golden State Warriors (18-3) and the Phoenix Suns (18-3) in Phoenix.

The Suns got a quick start in the the first quarter of this game leading by a slim margin for most of the quarter. The Suns were hurting the Warriors inside but it was the three point shooting by Golden State that pushed them into the lead 35-31 after one quarter.

It was so impressive in the previous game against the Clippers when Steph Curry shot 13 points in the fourth quarter but it was equally exciting in this game with Jordan Poole shooting 16 points in the first quarter.

The quick start that the Warriors were looking for kept this game close and it would be a dog fight to the end. In the second quarter the pace really picked up and after leading by nine points the Warriors offense began to cool off. With less than one minutes left in the half the game was tied at 53. At the half the Suns had regained the lead 56-54.

The first half was a very frustrating one for Stephen Curry. The Suns had contained him relentlessly and you could see the annoyance etched all over his face. It was a disappointing game so far for Curry who was two of eight from downtown and only had eight points.

Jordan Poole finished the half with 18 points which really got the team going. Off the bench another great performance came from Otto Porter Jr bombing three’s, (he was four of six from Downtown) and scoring 12 points.

The bad news for the Suns was a hamstring strain suffered by the hot Devon Booker who would miss the second half. How much time he was going to miss was still to be determined by the severity of the injury.

The one thing that really stood out for the Warriors were the number of offensive rebounds they had. They just needed to get their rhythm back and avoid getting stagnant like they did in the final minutes of the first half. The turnovers as well had to be cleaned up.

The flow for the Suns was great compared to a stagnant and indecisive Warriors team. It was not the Warrior offense that we are used to seeing although it was good enough to remain within striking distance after three quarters trailing 80-78. Throughout the game the Suns were keeping the Warriors uncomfortable and off balance.

With under four minutes left the Warriors were in trouble trailing 99-92. The Warriors were shooting 42 percent and Curry still could not get going. The Warriors had 23 turnovers which drained the life out them. The Suns were executing a brilliant game plan. This was the first time this season that the Warriors were kept under a hundred points in a game.

The Suns did a tremendous job slowing the Warriors and forcing 23 turnovers. They contained Curry who finished with 13 point unable to get on track at all in this game. This was a heavy weight fight between two giants. While there were a number of things that hurt the Warriors the primary culprit was the turnovers. It’s very hard to win when you are constantly turning the ball over especially against a team like the Suns.

Friday night the Warriors will have another chance to level the score when they will again play the Suns and try to break this amazing winning streak that Phoenix has going. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:00 at Chase Center.

Golden State Warriors podcast with Barbara Mason: Warriors killing it win eight in a row battle 2nd place Phoenix Tuesday

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That’s all there’s to it, Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) acknowledges the crowd as the Warriors hosted the visiting Los Angeles Clippers at the Chase Center in San Francisco on Sun Nov 28, 2021 (AP News photo)

On the Warriors podcast with Barbara:

#1 The Golden State Warriors (18-2) defeated the Los Angeles Clippers (11-9) with a 105-90 win on Sunday night at Staples Center in Los Angeles. The Warriors just took over from the second quarter on.

#2 Warriors guard Stephen Curry scored 13 of his 30 points in the fourth quarter which made the difference in passing up the Clippers.

#3 Otto Porter had 18 points and Jordan Poole finished with 17 the Clippers just had no answer for them.

#4 The Warriors have won eight straight and when you look at those eight games they won they looked like no ones going catch them.

#5 The Phoenix Suns (17-3) have won 17 straight games and they look like a team that’s not cooling off anytime soon either. How do you see this match up Tuesday with the Warriors and Suns?

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

Grizzlies overtake poor-shooting Kings 128-101

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Sacramento Kings forward Chimezie Metu (7) takes a shot against Memphis Grizzlies forwards Kyle Anderson (1) and Maurice Harkless (8) in the first half on Sun Nov 28, 2021 in Memphis (AP News photo)

By Daniel Dullum
Sunday, November 28, 2021

A poor shooting night by Sacramento, combined with the one-two scoring punch of Dillon Brooks and Desmond Bane, helped the Grizzlies defeat the Kings 128-101 Sunday in Memphis, snapping a two-game losing streak.

Brooks led the Grizzlies with 21 points, followed by Bane with 18. Jaren Jackson Jr, contributed 17 points and nine rebounds, and Brandon Clarke added 15 points with De’Anthony Melton scoring 14 off the bench.

Buddy Hield was the Kings’ leading scorer with 14 points, despite making 5 of 17 from the field and missing 8 of 9 3-point attempts. Terence Davis was next for Sacramento with 13 points, followed by De’Aaron Fox with 12.

The Kings made 34 percent of their floor shots, including 9 of 42 behind the arc.

The Grizzlies were playing their first game without leading scorer Ja Morant, who was out due to a knee injury suffered Friday against Atlanta. Memphis collectively stepped up, hitting 15 of its 21 shots in the first half as the Grizzlies built a 76-52 halftime lead.

Sacramento trailed 106-74 after three quarters. The Kings were without forwards Harrison Barnes, Maurice Harkness and Richaun Holmes – all were held out of the lineup due to various ailments.

The Kings are 2-2 under interim coach Alvin Gentry, who took over after Luke Walton was fired last week. They return home to host the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday night.

Golden State torches the Clippers 105-90

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Golden State Warrior guard Stephen Curry (30) is jubilant after scoring a three pointer. Curry led with 33 points against the Los Angeles Clippers at the Staples Center in Los Angeles on Sun Nov 28, 2021 (AP News photo)

Golden State Torches the Clippers 105-90

By Barbara Mason

It was a lazy hazy Sunday afternoon game and both the Golden State Warriors (18-2) and the Los Angeles Clippers (11-9) played in similar fashion. It took three quarters for Golden State to really get going. Stephen Curry and Otto Porter Jr. both torched the Clippers with amazing play in the fourth quarter.

Sunday afternoon the Warriors took on the Clippers at Staples Center and the Warriors did what they did to many of their opponents and won it 105-90. It’s a difficult task to remain on task with the Tuesday night matchup with the Phoenix Suns looming.

In addition this afternoon matchup is tough, in fact, this is the only 12:30 game that Golden State has all season. It is difficult to get your game on in such an early start and we would see this from both teams in the first half.

It was an interesting first half for the Warriors with a mix of great defense and issues offensively. The Warriors led at the half 44-42 with both teams shooting around 37%.

The Warriors shooting average is 114 per game and with 44 points at halftime it will be a challenge to reach anything close to that average. We have seen the Warriors go off in the second half of games so nothing is out of the realm of possibility for these guys.

Stephen Curry finished the half with 13 points and that was it for double digits for the whole team. The Clippers Paul George finished the half with 12 points and so it was an ugly game for both teams.

The fact that the Warriors were leading at the half after a horrible start was a positive. Golden State started the game with six turnovers but finished the half with nine so they got back on track with that. Steph Curry had five steals in the first half another plus for the Warriors.

Going into the third quarter the Warriors needed more offensive rebounds, keeping those turnovers at bay and more play without fouls. After getting some great looks that missed, more consistency in that department would go far so eye on the prize and leave future games in the future.

Shots started falling in the third quarter for the Warriors and with improved rebounding the highest scoring third quarter team in the league came to life. The Warriors led by eleven points mid-way through the quarter but had that lead trimmed down to a single point when the Clippers started to heat up.

The only disappointment for Los Angeles was Reggie Jackson who hadn’t come to the party through three quarters; he remained scoreless. The key to this quarter was not only the scoring from Steph Curry but also his passing and finishing. Jordan Poole finished the third quarter with three shots from downtown.

The Warriors had their largest lead of the game mid-way into the fourth quarter 84-70. Otto Porter Jr continued to lift up the team with his amazing play having an enormous afternoon with 18 points. 19 steals for the Warriors was another key to this game. The final score was 105-90.

The one thing that we all learned from this game was do not, and I mean do not get Curry angry. He will make you pay. After a technical (questionable) on Curry in the fourth quarter he came unglued and when that happens he will burn you, he will incinerate you. He will channel that anger into his play on the court and then you are in real trouble as we saw today.

Curry finished with 33 points, seven from downtown. Jordan Poole had 17 points and off the bench Otto Porter Jr, was great with 18 points. They held Reggie Jackson to a scoreless game and forced numerous turnovers from Paul George in the first half. It took Golden State an entire half to get on track but when they did they were a runaway train.

So now we have the marque matchup between the Warriors and the Phoenix Suns next Tuesday night. It will be a battle of the titans in this two game series as these two teams will meet for a second time on Friday night. Tipoff on Tuesday will be 7:00 PM.

Never give up Kings get triple overtime victory over Lakers 141-137

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The Sacramento Kings guard Buddy Hield (24) lays one up in front of the Los Angeles Lakers center Dwight Howard (39) in a contest that went three overtimes at the Staples Center in Los Angeles on Fri Nov 26, 2026 (AP News photo)

By Jeremiah Salmonson

The Sacramento Kings were back in action on Friday night after beating the Portland Trail Blazers on Wednesday night. The Kings won for the first time on Wednesday day after the firing of Luke Walton on Sunday. The Kings were in Los Angeles on Friday to take on the Lakers. The Kings would manage to beat the Lakers 141-137 in triple overtime at Staples Center. 

In the first quarter, both teams were evenly matched. Unfortunately, it wasn’t very impressive. The Kings and Lakers both managed to score 20 points in the first quarter in what what a solid defensive but lackluster quarter for both teams on offense. The Kings would look to pickup the offensive effort to build a lead on the Lakers. 

In the second quarter, it was a similar story for both teams. The second quarter saw the Kings and Lakers both score the same number of points again with both teams putting up 23 points. The Kings and Lakers would be tied heading into the second half at 43 points each. Leading the way for the Kings in the first half was De’Aaron Fox as Russell Westbrook led the charge for the Lakers in scoring. 

In the third quarter, the Lakers would take the first end of quarter lead of the game. The Lakers managed to outscore the Kings 35-30 as both offenses came to life. The Kings struggles to contain the Lakers offense as both teams seemed to take a step back on defense. 

In the fourth quarter, the Kings would mount a comeback. The Kings out scored the Lakers 27-22 in the final quarter of regulation to head into overtime with a score of 100-100. In overtime, the Kings would look to win back to back games for the first time in a while this season. 

In the first and second overtimes both teams wouldn’t be able to gain an inch. The teams both scored 12 points in the first overtime and the same in the second. The game would be tied 124-124 heading into the final overtime. 

In the third overtime, the Kings out scored the Lakers 17-13 and pull out the win 141-137 in the Kings win. It was the first triple overtime game for the Kings since 2009 against the Golden State Warriors. It was a great emotional win for the Kings who saw De’Aaron Fox lead the way with 34 points. Lebron James led the way for the Lakers in defeat scoring 30 points. 

The Kings will look to replicate their success against the Lakers when they come to town on Tuesday. 

Up Next: The Kings head to Memphis to take on the Grizzlies on Sunday at 3 PM PST. 

Warriors win 118-103 despite Portland’s fourth quarter bid

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The Golden State Warriors Jordan Poole (left) and Stephen Curry share the thrill of a basket at the Chase Center in San Francisco against the Portland Trailblazer (AP News photo)

Warriors Win 118-103 Despite Portland’s Fourth Quarter Bid

By Barbara Mason

Every starter in the Golden State Warriors line-up had double digits against the Portland Trailblazers handing Golden State the 118-103 win. The bench was great chipping in 23 points handing the Trail Blazers yet another road loss.

Friday night the Warriors (17-2) tried to extend their nine game winning streak as they took on the Trail Blazers (10-10). The Warriors have not only won nine games in a row but all of them were by double digits.

After the rough start against the Sixers on Wednesday night, falling behind by nineteen points is not something that Head Coach Steve Kerr wants to see again anytime soon. Golden State was sluggish through the first half of that game and so tonight the team needs to start fast and finish the same way.

While it is impressive how the Warriors can dispose of teams after trailing by double digits it is not what any coach wants to see. Playing from behind the eight ball is not at all a comfortable position that any team wants to experience and the Warriors are doing it often.

The Warriors will be playing shorthanded but with the depth on this team it does not present any problems. Tonight Damion Lee, Andre Iguodala, Jonathan Kuminga and Moses Moody will not be playing in the game. Lee and Iguodala are out with injury and Kuminga and Moody will be taking the court in Santa Cruz.

The Trail Blazers have lost 18 of their last 24 games. They do play fast though and it will be tough to slow this team down. Damien Lilliard loves to play in the Bay Area being a native and actually averages 29 points per game so the Warriors will have to watch out for him. Portland lost their last game to the Sacramento Kings 125-121. The Warriors are heavily favored in this game.

Both teams had a fast start in the first quarter with Golden State taking a five point lead in the early minutes. The Warriors cooled a bit mid-way through the quarter but picked it up as the first quarter came to an end with Golden State leading by a single point 27-26.

The second quarter was very even and the teams were tied at 42 with under three minutes left in the half. Those final three minutes hailed the return of the three-pointer as Curry and Poole were able to score from downtown giving Golden State a 58-44 lead going into the third quarter.

The Warriors had done a great job containing Damien Lillard who had 8 points in the half. They had also scored 17 points off Portland turnovers. All five starters had scored in the double digits in this game extending their lead to 91-70 after three.

Portland really got on track in the fourth quarter and trimmed the Warrior 21 point lead to ten. Golden State was not finished yet and had to really work for this win. They came on strong in the final minutes of the game finishing on top.

Stephen Curry finished with 32 points followed by Andrew Wiggins with 25 points. The Warriors did a great job on Lilliard who had 16 points in this game. The high score for the Trail Blazers was off the bench—Anfernee Simons finished with 19 points.

Golden State will now travel down to the Southland Sunday to take on the Clippers in an afternoon game. They will be going for seven wins in a row. Tipoff is scheduled for 12:30 PM.

Sacramento Kings podcast with Jeremiah Salmonson: Kings face Lakers twice this week; First meeting tonight at Staples

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Portland Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard (0) dribbles to get past Sacramento Kings center Tristan Thompson (13) during Wed Nov 24, 2021 at the Chase Center in Sacramento (AP News photo)

On the Kings podcast with Jeremiah:

#1 In the last Sacramento Kings (7-12) the Kings De’Aaron Fox scored 21 points before being ejected from last Wednesday night’s game against the Portland Trailblazers (10-9). Fox got the boot with 6:06 left after getting back to back technical fouls.

#2 The Kings also had two players ejected and received six technical fouls it could have got the Kings in a lot of trouble and could have lost them the game but they played angry and got by the Blazers with a four point win.

#3 The Blazers Robert Covington got even frustrated when he threw his goggles near a referee and was ejected from the game. Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups said the game got a little bit chippy and said stay off the officials and said that they got a little bit off their rhythm.

#4 The Portland Trailblazers Damian Lillard said that they just couldn’t come up with the stops saying the effort was there but they were just one or two plays short.

#5 The Kings are in Los Angeles to take on the Lakers (10-10) the Lakers just got by the Indiana Pacers (8-12) in overtime on Wednesday night 124-116. In the overtime stanza the Lakers outscored the Pacers 12-4 to get the victory. How do you see this match up tonight at Staples Center?

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

Warriors Contain Sixers In Second Half To Win 116-96

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Brother vs. Brother the Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) tries to get by the Philadelphia 76ers guard Seth Curry (31) at the Chase Center in San Francisco on Wed Nov 24, 2021 (AP News photo)

Warriors Contain Sixers In Second Half To Win 116-96

By Barbara Mason

The Golden State Warriors owned the second half of this game after trailing by 19 points in the first half. A brilliant offensive display won this game for the Warriors 116-96.

Wednesday night the Warriors (16-2) took on the Philadelphia 76ers (10-9) at Chase Center. The Warriors are coming off a 119-104 win over the Raptors last Sunday followed by two days off. The Sixers won their game against the Sacramento Kings Monday night 102-94.

The Sixers got a really fast start leading after one quarter 34-23. Philadelphia came to play in this game and you could see that from the get go. They were on a mission. Seth Curry had ten points and Danny Green had a lot to do with the quick start with 8 points off the bench.

The Warriors began to pick it up in the second quarter after trailing by as much as fourteen points in the opening quarter. When the Warriors amped up their level of play, the Sixers followed suit and continued to outplay the Warriors extending their lead to 19 points.

The Sixers had held Jordan Poole to two points and mid-way through the quarter Andrew Wiggins was scoreless having missed four free throws in the first quarter. Nineteen points was the largest deficit for the Warriors all season. The score at the half was 61-52. Shot of the game went to Jordan Poole who scored from way downtown with 1.4 seconds on the clock. He shot the ball from half court.

The Warriors went into the third quarter on shaky ground with a Draymond Green that already had four fouls. The sleepwalking Warriors came out with a vengeance in the second half trimming the Sixers lead to 63-60. The Golden State flow was back, they were forcing turnovers and we all know that the Warriors are a second half team.

The Warriors had given up 23 points off turnovers mid-way through the third quarter. Far too many turnovers were responsible for quelling the rhythm that Golden State had going. Giveaways were really hurting the Warriors. After three quarters Golden State held a slim lead 86-84. To end the third quarter the Sixers Shake Milton made a miraculous 39-feet three point shot with eight seconds left on the clock.

The fourth quarter was a total domination by Golden State for the 116-96

The Warriors owned the second half of this game. Green was amazing walking a tight rope the entire second half with four fouls but he did not back down one bit. He was aggressive and a major part of this win Stephen Curry finished with 25 points just edging out brother Seth who had 24 for the Sixers. Juan Toscano-Anderson had a great second half with 13 points. “When we’re going down, we’re getting down,” said Toscano in reference to their less than stellar first half.

Once again you can never count the Golden State Warriors out. They have been in every game this season and show no signs of letting up.

On Friday night the Warriors will be meeting up with the Portland Trail Blazers at home. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:00 PM. Golden State is heavily favored in this game.

Kings bench rally for 125-121 victory over Trailblazers, snap losing streak

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Portland Trail Blazers guard Dennis Smith Jr. (10) isn’t going too far against Sacramento Kings center Tristan Thompson (13) as Thompson draws the foul at the Golden One Center in Sacramento on Wed Nov 24, 2021 (AP News photo)

by Marko Ukalovic

SACRAMENTO—Desperate for a win, the Sacramento Kings bench players rose up to the challenge.

Marvin Bagley III hit a three pointer with 30.5 second left in the game to ice a 125-121 victory over the Portland Trailblazers on Thanksgiving Eve at the Golden 1 Center.

Sacramento snapped its four-game losing streak and won its first game under interim coach Alvin Gentry since he took over the head coaching duties this past Sunday after the dismissal of Luke Walton on Sunday. Portland had its four-game winning streak snapped.

Buddy Hield led all Kings in scoring with 22 points on 6 of 15 shooting, including 5 of 11 from beyond the arc, off the bench. Davion Mitchell had a big fourth quarter scoring 12 of his 16 points in the winning effort.

Bagley III scored a season high 10 points off the bench as the Kings bench were responsible for 61 of the 125 points.

“I was happy for Marvin (Bagley III) and thought he played a really great game,” Gentry said.

Sacramento (7-12) got off to the fast start that has plagued them for the past month. A balanced scoring attack from the starting five had the Kings jumped out to a 20-12 lead, which included a 10-0 run in a three-minute period.

Jusuf Nurkic dominated the opening quarter for Portland (10-9) as he scored 14 points on 7 of 9 from the floor. Portland had two runs, a 12-4 and a 10-6 to end the quarter with a 36-32 lead.

Damian Lillard scored 12 of his 17 first half points in the second quarter including a 30-foot three pointer to power the Blazers offense in the second quarter.

De’Aaron Fox led Sacramento with 10 points of 17 first half points in the second quarter on four of five shooting.

Blazers power forward Robert Covington was ejected from the game with 49 seconds left in the game for throwing his goggles at an official.

The two teams put on an offensive showcase as they combined for 72 points in the second quarter as Portland had 71-69 lead at halftime.

The third quarter was the exact opposite of the second quarter with sloppy play and horrible shooting from both teams in the first nine minutes of the quarter. The Kings didn’t register its first point of the third quarter until 9:25 left when Harrison Barnes hit one of two free throws.

The Kings outscored the Blazers 24-21 in the quarter to take a 93-92 lead into the fourth quarter.

“We gotta have fun out there,” said Kings point guard Tyrese Haliburton. “We gotta get the crowd involved. I think that was big for us tonight.”

Lillard led the Blazers in scoring with 32 points on 7 of 18 shooting (but just 3 of 12 from beyond the arc) and 15 of 16 from the free throw line. Nurkic finished with a double-double, 28 points and 17 rebounds. Normal Powell had a strong game with 22 points on 50% shooting from the floor. Nassir Little chipped in with 16 points off the bench.

Fox, who was also ejected from the game for arguing with the refs, led the Kings’ starters with 21 points on eight of 13 shooting from the field, including four for four from the free throw line.

GAME NOTES: Sacramento finished 12-for-33 from beyond the arc. Portland was 12-for-33.

Barnes, who left the game with an injury, had X-rays taken after the game and were negative. “Our doctors are pretty optimistic that everything’s going to be fine,” said Gentry.

UP NEXT: Sacramento travel out to Los Angeles to take on the Lakers on Friday 11/26 at 7:30pm at Staples Center.