Category: NBA

Fourth Quarter Onslaught Win One For Warriors 104-89; Cavs now one game above .500 after loss

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Cleveland Cavaliers’ Isaac Okoro (35) tries to dribble past the Golden State Warriors’ Jordan Poole (3) at Rocket Mortgage Field House in Cleveland on Thu Nov 18, 2021 (AP News photo)

Fourth Quarter Onslaught Wins One For the Warriors 104-89

By Barbara Mason

After a convincing win against the Brooklyn Nets Tuesday night, the Warriors (13-2 ) continued their road trip in Cleveland taking on the (9-8) Cavaliers and their winning ways with their second win on this current road trip 104-89.

This game could not have been any closer with the Cavaliers totally dominating on the glass. The Cavs led after one quarter 29-27. At the half Cleveland still held the lead albeit a slim one, but a lead nonetheless 54-51.

The Warriors came out sluggish in the first quarter and the Cavaliers outshot them from downtown. It is true that Cleveland is playing much better basketball but the rebounding by Golden State was not very good.

After two quarters Stephen Curry was 4-7 on three pointers and had 15 points while off the bench Nemanja Bjelica had 16 points. It was Bjelica to the rescue because for the most part it was Curry alone who was scoring for the starters. Darius Garland had the high score for Cleveland with 18 points.

Despite being known for being a fast break team, the Warriors only had five. They would have to do a better job rebounding in the second half as well as making better choices in their shot making.

Many times after an outstanding win teams come out sluggish in their next game. Mid-way through the third quarter the Cavs were completely boxing the Warriors out and the Warriors were not defending the rim.

Golden State found themselves trailing with under four minutes left in the quarter 74-65. Second chance points were 19-2 in favor of Cleveland. After three quarters the Cavs had extended their lead 81-68.

In the fourth quarter Curry found his three and the Curry Flurry was heating up with a lot of ground to make up. Golden State tied the game at 81 with Andrew Wiggins coming alive. It was a 15-0 run for the Warriors in the fourth quarter. The Warriors were making the Cavs work hard offensively. Golden State had finally taken the lead 90-86 with just over six minutes left in the game.

From down thirteen to up thirteen the Warriors had flipped the fourth quarter with 1:24 left in the game. Golden State was going to win an improbable game. It was ugly for three quarters and amazing in the fourth.

Cleveland had no answers to the Warrior onslaught. Golden State did absolutely everything right in the final quarter when it really mattered. The final was 104-89 in a game where the Warriors were completely outplayed in three quarters.

Curry finished with 40, and Bjelica with 14 points off the bench. The Cavaliers did everything possible to win this game through three quarters. They fell apart in the fourth quarter letting the Warriors walk away with the win.

Tomorrow afternoon the Warriors will be taking on the Detroit Pistons. Tipoff is scheduled for 4:00 PM PST.

Edwards, Towns lead Wolves past Kings 107-97

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Sacramento Kings forward Harrison Barnes, left, tries to get a hook shot over Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards at the Target Center in Minneapolis on Wed Nov 17, 2021 (AP News photo)

By Daniel Dullum
Wed, November 17, 2021

Offensive firepower from Anthony Edwards and Ksrl-Anthony Towns, along with stingy defense, helped Minnesota defeat Sacramento 107-97 Wednesday night at Target Center in downtown Minneapolis.

It was the Kings’ fifth loss in their last six games.

Edwards scored 16 of his 26 points in the fourth quarter, and Towns added 22 points for the Timberwolves, who held the Kings to 36.6 percent shooting and forced 20 Sacramento turnovers.

Patrick Beverley added 14 points, six rebounds and six assists for the Wolves, who had lost eight of its last nine games. Edwards sank four 3-pointers in the fourth quarter, laading Minnesota to its third win in 10 home games.

De’Aaron Fox paced the Kings with a game-high 28 points, followed by Buddy Hield’s 16 points off the bench. Richaun Holmes added 12 points and seven rebounds.

Sacramento coach Luke Walton wanted better rebounding and got it – the Kings grabbed a season-high 20 offensive boards, 13 of them in the first half resulting in 16 second-chance points.

Though both teams struggled offensively in the first half, Minnesota surged ahead in the third quarter when Towns scored the first seven points of the third quarter, sparking a 10-2 Wolves run. From there, Minnesota hit 13-of-20 field goals, including 4-pf-7 from 3-point range.

Hield tried to keep the Kings in the game with four 3s to pull Sacramento within one early in the fourth quarter. But Edwards went on his fourth-quarter tear to help the Timberwolves pull away.

The Kings return home on Friday to host the Toronto Raptors.

Curry leads with 37 points and Durant scores season low 19 as Warriors defeat Nets 117-99

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Brooklyn Nets’ James Harden, right, and Kevin Durant (7) try and put a stop on the Golden State Warriors Draymond Green (23) at the Barclay Center in Brooklyn on Tue Nov 16, 2021 (AP News photo)

By Jessica Kwong

BROOKLYN— In a matchup of the NBA’s top two scorers – former teammate champions – at Barclays Center on Tuesday night, Golden State Warriors (12-2) star Stephen Curry came out on top with 37 points. Curry led his team to a 117-99 victory over the Brooklyn Nets (10-5) and Kevin Durant, who scored his season-low 19 points.

At the end of the night, it was Curry who stood at half court and enjoyed “MVP! MVP! MVP!” chants.

“It’s fun for us but we appreciate the support. It’s nice to have that energy around when we’re traveling like that,” Curry said. “Doesn’t happen unless you win games, and you don’t win games by yourself.” Curry made nine 3-pointers and was 12 for 19 overall, boosting his average to 28.7 points per game.

Meanwhile Durant, who failed to hit 20 points for the first time this season and finished 6 for 19, dropped his average to 28.9 points per game.

Durant, who decided to leave the Warriors for the Nets more than two years ago, acknowledged that Curry is “a master at what he does… playing at an all-star, MVP, hall of fame level.”

The two players shared a warm embrace on the court after the game.

Warriors head coach Steve Kerr was asked whether Durant is a better player now than when he played for Golden State over three seasons, twice winning NBA Finals MVP.

“He was pretty damn good then, so he doesn’t look any different to me and that’s after an Achilles injury that kept him out for a year and a half,” Kerr said. “So that’s saying something. But I don’t think you can tell he had an injury, given his ability, his speed, his explosion.”

The game started out as a head-on duel. Brooklyn made their first six shots and took a 34-31 lead in the first quarter, with Durant and Curry scoring 12 points apiece.

Andrew Wiggins, who scored 19 points, hit triples for the last two baskets of the first half, including at the buzzer to give the Warriors a 63-58 lead.

The third quarter was when Golden State took control of the game, finishing with a 98-76 lead. The rest was history.

“This was a big game for us,” Wiggins said. “I felt like we came and showed the league that we’re here. That we’re deep and we’re here.”

The Warriors (11-2), leading the Western Conference, take on the Cleveland Cavaliers on Thursday at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse. Tipoff is at 4:30 p.m.

Kings snap four game skid thrash Detroit 129-107

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The Detroit Pistons guard Josh Jackson (20) with the Sacramento Kings guard Buddy Hield (24) on his backside tries to get control of the basketball at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit on Mon Nov 15, 2021 (AP News photo)

Kings snap four game skid thrash Detroit 129-107

By Barbara Mason

The Sacramento Kings won a decisive game over the Detroit Pistons on Monday. Every starter for Sacramento shot double digits for a lop-sided win 129-107.

Monday night the Detroit Pistons (3-10) took on the Sacramento Kings (6-8) at Little Caesars Arena. The Pistons currently sit near the bottom of the Eastern Conference while the Kings are in eleventh place in the Western Conference.

The Pistons are struggling while the Kings are playing improved basketball over last season. Their leading scorer De’Aaron Fox has been consistently putting up good numbers and the team will be leaning on him in this game. The Kings are favored in this game as they try to work their way to a .500 record.

After the first quarter the Kings had taken a significant lead over Detroit 31-12. They got a quick start and never looked back.

In the second quarter the Kings put a real stranglehold on the Pistons and were leading 68-44 at the half. Everything was going right for Sacramento and the Pistons were really struggling. Fox scored 14 points in the first half followed by Tyrese Haliburton with 11 points.

The Kings got help off the bench with Buddy Hield scoring 11. The Pistons Saddiq Bey had 17 points in the half. In the first two quarters the Kings obliterated the Pistons and would try to take the same play into the second half to close out this game. The Pistons certainly had a huge deficit to contend with. Trailing by twenty-four points would be a major challenge for Detroit.

The Pistons made up a little ground in the third quarter but the Kings came roaring back and extended their lead. Going into the fourth quarter the Kings had opened up a thirty point lead and things were looking pretty bleak for Detroit.

The high score for Sacramento was off the bench. Buddy Hield shot for 22 points to cement the win for the Kings 129-107.

Wednesday night the Kings will continue their road trip taking on the Minnesota Timberwolves. Tipoff is slated for 5:00 PM.

Golden State Warriors podcast with Barbara Mason: Did Warriors look lethargic in loss to Charlotte?

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The Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) plays defense on the Charlotte Hornets forward Gordon Hayward (20) Sun Nov 14, 2021 in Charlotte (AP News photo)

On the Warriors podcast with Barbara:

#1 The Golden State Warriors (11-2) lost their second game of the season to the Charlotte Hornets (8-7) snapping their seven game win streak in the game they looked awfully tired and their just starting the first of a four game road trip on Sunday night.

#2 Warriors top scorer Andrew Wiggins was getting his shot to fall scoring 28 points tops on the leaderboard and followed up by Warrior guard Stephen Curry 24 points.

#3 The Hornets Miles Bridges led with 22 points, LeMelo Ball 21 points and Terry Rozier 20 points as the top three scorers for the Hornets Sunday.

#4 Rozier said after the game that the Hornets are trying to get somewhere like the where the Warriors are and the Hornets put out their best efforts.

#5 The Warriors head to Brooklyn to take on former teammate Kevin Durant and the Brooklyn Nets (10-4) tell us how you see this game Tuesday night at the Barclay Center.

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

Warriors 7 game Winning Streak Comes To An End 106-102

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Charlotte Hornets guard LaMelo Ball (2) looks to throw the ball inbounds over Golden State Warriors guard Gary Payton II (0) Sun Nov 14, 2021 in Charlotte (AP News photo)

Warriors Winning Streak Comes To An End 106-102

By Barbara Mason

The Golden State Warriors (11-2) missed far too many wide open looks from downtown against the Charlotte Hornets (8-7) losing 106-102. The Warriors shot 9-39 from long range and just the fact that they were in this game till the end was amazing in itself.

Sunday afternoon the Warriors faced the Hornets on the road. The Warriors will be minus one of their weapons and that is their fan base, one of the loudest crowds in the NBA. The Warriors are coming off an eight-game home stand in which they went 7-1 winning all seven games by double digits. Road games can be an entirely different challenge.

The Hornets will be looking for a little revenge after having lost to Golden State less than two weeks ago. The Hornets can be inconsistent but they can also heat up and give the Warriors some real trouble.

The Warriors have to have a fast start and control the turnovers. Charlotte is the worst defensive team in the NBA but they are also a high octane offensive team. The Warriors have to take advantage of the Hornets ineffective defense. They will also have to contain the trio of Miles Bridges, LaMelo Ball and Gordon Hayward.

The Hornets led at the end of the first quarter 30-27. They were up to their old tricks and had seven turnovers which robs them of a possible seven shot attempts. They will have to clean that up going forward in this game.

There were far too many turnovers by Golden State in this game and at the half this game was all tied up at 57. The two highest scoring teams in the league were living up to their reputations. In the third quarter the Warriors would have to contain Ball who already had 19 points and was 4-6 from downtown. They needed to convert those wide open looks that they were missing in the first half as well.

Mid-way though the third quarter this game was as tight as the Warriors have seen all season. They were tied up at 70 and the Hornets were giving the Warriors all they could handle.

28 points in 26 minutes for Andrew Wiggins was big for Golden State. The fourth quarter of this game saw lead changes every minute or two. This game was going down to the wire with both teams struggling offensively in the final three minutes of this game.

Would this be the game that saw the winning streak end for the Warriors? With 44 seconds left in the game it was all knotted up at 102. The Warriors were 9-39 from downtown which is something seldom seen from this team and could prove to be their undoing.

The Warriors continue their road trip on Tuesday night taking on the Brooklyn Nets. Tipoff is at 7:30PM.

Last-second layup by Thunder’s Dort sinks Kings 105-103

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Oklahoma City Thunder forward Luguentz Dort (5) tries to line up a shot against Sacramento Kings guard Buddy Hield (24) in the closing minutes in Oklahoma City on Fri Nov 12, 2021 (AP News photo)

By Daniel Dullum
Friday, November 12, 2021

A layup off a steal by Lu Dort with 1.7 seconds remaining gave Oklahoma City a 105-103 win over the Sacramento Kings Friday. It was the fourth win in a row for the Thunder.

The Thunder overcame an 18-point deficit to snag the win. Sacramento had the ball with 25 seconds to play, but Kings guard DeAaron Fox was stripped on an attempted crossover by Dort, who converted the steal into the go-ahead layup.

After the Kings (5-8) called a full time out following Dort’s go-ahead basket, Buddy Hield missed a 24-foot 3-pointer from the left wing as time expired.

Dort and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the Thunder (5-6) with 22 points apiece. Darius Bazley had 15 points (on 6-of-8 shooting), eight rebounds and two blocks, and Tre Marin scored 12 points off the OKC bench. Jeremiah Robinson-Earl grabbed 14 rebounds.

Harrison Barnes led Sacramento with 21 points, followed by Richaun Holmes and DeAaron Fox with 16 points each. Hield and Chimezie Metu each added 14 points for the Kings. Holmes added 15 rebounds and four blocks, Tristan Thompson grabbed 10 boards, and Tyrese Haliburton contributed eight rebounds, seven assists and eight points.

It was the fourth time this season that the Thunder overcame a deficit of 16 or more points this season.

The Kings’ road trip continues on Monday, when they visit the Detroit Pistons.

Warriors prove elite status beating Chicago 119-93; Curry scores 40 in victory

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Stephen Curry guard for the Golden State Warriors jumps for joy after converting one of his three point shots in the second half of action at the Chase Center in San Francisco against the Chicago Bulls on Fri Nov 12, 2021 (AP News photo)

Warriors Prove Elite Status Beating Chicago 119-93

By Barbara Mason

After a horrific start in Friday night’s game, the Golden State Warriors (11-1) turned things around led by a Curry Flurry of epic proportion. They finished off the Eastern Conference leaders 119-93.

Friday night the Warriors finished their eight-game home stand against the Chicago Bulls (8-4) looking for their seventh win in a row. Their last six wins were by double digits although tonight they will be challenged by the Eastern Conference leading Bulls.

The Warriors will try to contain a Chicago team that is very good on both ends of the court. The Bulls do not take very many three point attempts, probably their only weakness but they are very good from mid-court range.

In the first quarter, the Bulls simply outplayed the Warriors forcing seven turnovers and taking the early lead 29-23. The Warriors were actually lucky to only be trailing by six points. It was an ugly start for the Dubs and against a team like the Bulls a start like this could prove very costly.

The Warriors really turned things around in the second quarter and limited the turnovers with only three. They took the lead at the half after trailing by ten points 48-43. The Warriors did a good job on the glass in the second quarter. This game had all the makings of a very close finish. Zach Lavine had 12 points for Chicago and Stephen Curry finished the half with 17 points, three of them from downtown.

The third quarter was a good one for the Warriors forcing turnovers and outplaying the Bulls. Curry continued his three point onslaught leading the team to a nineteen point advantage mid-way through the quarter. The Warriors defense forced the Bulls into three points attempts which did not go well for Chicago and at the end of three quarters the Warriors had a big-time serious lead 84-62.

The Bulls would need a monster comeback in the final quarter trailing by 24 points mid-way through the fourth quarter. Chicago began to hit some three’s trying to trim the Warrior lead. Every time the Bulls would make a run, the Warriors would answer. It had been all Golden State in the second half. The final of 119-93 proves without doubt that Golden State is indeed an elite team.

Curry had 40 points in this game and again Andrew Wiggins had an amazing game with 15 points and seven rebounds. The bench was equally amazing with Kuminga, Iguodala and Payton scoring eight points apiece. We can’t talk Warrior offense without talking defense and an amazing job by Draymond Green with nine rebounds and seven assists.

This game silenced those saying that the Warriors hadn’t played any real team yet. Well now they have and there is your answer. These guys are for real and are going to be very difficult to beat moving forward. Still they talk about improving all the time and we all look forward to those improvements because they look pretty invincible right now.

The Warriors head out on the road to take on the Hornets (7-7) Sunday afternoon. Tipoff is scheduled for 4:00 PM.

Sacramento Kings podcast with Jeremiah Salmonson: Kings try to snap three game skid in OKC tonight

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The Sacramento Kings guard De’Aaron Fox (5) tries to dribble to get inside on San Antonio Spurs guard Devin Vassell (24) on Wed Nov 10, 2021. Fox was was the high scorer for the game with 37 points and did the heavy lifting for the Kings it wasn’t enough as Sacramento went down to their third straight defeat at AT&T Arena in San Antonio. The Kings are in Oklahoma City tonight. (AP News photo)

On the Kings podcast with Jeremiah:

#1 Jeremiah the Sacramento Kings (5-7) who are suffering losing their last three games and got walloped by the San Antonio Spurs (4-7) on Wednesday night in San Antonio 136-117. After the Kings had that short run they are now facing the possibility of losing four straight on Thursday night in Oklahoma City.

#2 Dejounte Murray led the Spurs with 26 points Kings head coach Luke Walton knew that Dejounte was a force that had to be reckoned with and the Kings defense had trouble defending him.

#3 Jeremiah, despite scoring a season high 37 points the Kings De’Aaron Fox just couldn’t carry all that weight by himself and the Spurs defense pretty shutdown anyone else down in the Kings line up as the only other four Kings who scored in double figures fell short to get over the hump to catch the Spurs.

#4 The Spurs who had their own three game losing streak before Wednesday night’s game never let up on the Kings as Spurs head coach Gregg Poppovich was pushing the team hard not to drop this game.

#5 The Kings hope to turn the page tonight in Oklahoma City against the Thunder (4-6). The Thunder have won three straight games going into tonight’s contest. The Thunder defeated the New Orleans Pelicans (1-11) on Wednesday night 108-100 with the Thunder’s forward Luguentz Dort led with 27 points. Jeremiah tell us what do you expect from tonight’s contest as Kings head coach Luke Walton hopes to snap the skid tonight.

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

Golden State Wins Sixth Game In A Row 123-110

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Golden State Warrior Andrew Wiggins (top) throws down against the Minnesota Timberwolves center Karl-Anthony Towns (32) and guard Patrick Beverley (22) at the Chase Center in San Francisco on Wed Nov 10, 2021 (AP News photo)

By Barbara Mason

An explosive game by Kevon Looney with 15 rebounds led Golden State to their sixth win in a row 123-110. Offensively Andrew Wiggins had 35 points against his former team.

Wednesday night the Golden State Warriors (10-1) took on the Minnesota Timberwolves (3-7) in a quest for their sixth win in a row.

The Timberwolves came out strong in the first quarter but how long could they keep pace with the Warriors? It was not surprising because Minnesota is very good in the first half of their games, in fact second best in the league but they are near the bottom of the heap in the second half.

The Timberwolves got far too many offensive rebounds in the quarter but despite that the Warriors led 31-28 after the first quarter. Anthony Edwards kept Minnesota in this game with 16 points in the opening quarter. Andrew Wiggins led the way for Golden State with 11 points.

Golden State put the Timberwolves out of the second quarter extending their lead to 47-34 at 7:51. The great start that Minnesota had in the first quarter was vanquished by the explosive play of the Warriors. At the half Golden State led 69-54. Kevon Looney had a great first half with nine points and nine rebounds. Wiggins was all over the court finishing the half with 22 points. He set the tone in this game, something he really wanted to do against his former team.

The expected collapse by Minnesota in the third quarter did not materialize. Golden State had led by twenty points in the quarter that was cut to four in the late minutes of the third. Draymond Green took a shot to the knee and had to leave the court and that was when the Timberwolves got very hot. The score after three quarters was 93–84 in favor of the Warriors. Golden State would have to hunker down in the absence of Green in the fourth quarter.

The Warriors outside shooting had gone cold in the fourth quarter letting Minnesota back into this game. Anthony Edwards was having a great game for Minnesota shooting 50% from downtown. The Warriors had to somehow slow down Edwards who was on a real roll with 43 points and five minutes left in the game.

Minnesota was double teaming Curry and with no Green on the floor it was crunch time for Golden State. The Warriors forced numerous turnovers in the final minutes of the fourth quarter which helped to seal this game for Golden State.

Wiggins finished the game with 35 points and four rebounds. Curry had 25 points with three shots from downtown. In an electric performance Looney had 17 rebounds and 11 points.

Friday night we will get to see the Chicago Bulls (8-3) take on the Warriors in the final game of this long home stand. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:00 PM.