Category: NBA

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

Sacramento Kings podcast with Jeremiah Salmonson: Kings get big double digit contributions from six scorers in Wed’s win over Orlando

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Sacramento Kings forward Marvin Bagley III is thrilled after scoring a three pointer in the first quarter against the Orlando Magic on Wed Dec 8, 2021 at Golden One Center in Sacramento. The Kings play against the Charlotte Hornets tonight in Charlotte (AP News photo)

On the Kings podcast with Jeremiah:

#1 There is little doubt that the Sacramento Kings (11-14) left it all out on the floor on Wednesday night against the Orlando Magic ((5-21) at Golden One Center in Sacramento with a convincing 142-130 win.

#2 Jeremiah, the way you saw Wednesday night’s game did it seem that both coaches Jamahl Mosely for the Magic and Sacramento Kings Alvin Gentry just open up the floor and never the mine the defense and it was about who was going to make it to the finish line?

#3 The Kings had six scorers finish in double figures and De’Aaron Fox finished on top with 33 in a game like that Fox had to be drained at it’s conclusion and he no doubt made every shot count.

#4 The Kings Tyrese Haliburton had a big fourth quarter and finished up with 18 points tied for second in scoring on Wednesday night.

#5 The Kings tip off with the Charlotte Hornets (14-13) tonight at 4pm, the Hornets who got swept in a two game series with the Philadelphia 76ers on Monday 127-124 in OT and Wednesday 110-106 are looking to get back in the win column. Jeremiah how do you see the Kings and Hornets matching up tonight.

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

It was raining buckets at Golden One Ctr as Kings beat Magic 132-130

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Sacramento Kings guard De’Aaron Fox (5) takes a shot against Orlando Magic center Mo Bamba at the Golden One Center in Sacramento on Wed Dec 8, 2021 (AP News photo)

By Jeremiah Salmonson

SACRAMENTO–The Sacramento Kings were back in action on Wednesday night. The Kings were well-rested, having played two games last week. The last game the Kings played was on Saturday when they took on the Los Angeles Clippers in Sacramento.

The Kings managed to take care of the Clippers by beating them by the final of 104-99. The Kings welcomed in the Orlando Magic on Wednesday night. The Magic didn’t come in a very successful team in 2021 with a record of 5-20. The Kings handled the Magic at home by the final 142-130.

Wednesday game recap: The Kings were set to take on the Orlando Magic on Wednesday at 7 PM PST in Sacramento.

In the first quarter, It wasn’t a spotless start to the game from either team. The Kings and Magic both struggled on the defensive end of the floor. The Kings scored 38 points compared to the Magic with 36 points in the first quarter. The Magic were hitting their three-point shots, which was the biggest reason they were in the game.

However, the Kings were saved on offense by a few three-point makes from Marvin Bagley towards the end of the quarter. Cole Anthony started the offense for the Magic with 8 points as his counterpart De’Aaron Fox had nine for the Kings.

It was more of the same for the Kings in the second quarter. The Kings defense didn’t step it up much in the second quarter. The Kings woes on the defensive end reared their ugly head towards the end of the half.

The Kings had built a bit of a lead as the half was winding down only to see the Magic come back and make it a 70-67 game going into Halftime. Yes, the Kings had the lead, but it wasn’t pretty. The Kings outscored the Magic 32-31 in the second quarter.

The Kings were led by De’Aaron Fox in the first half, who scored 13 points. Cole Anthony led the Magic in the first half with 16 points. The Kings would look to close the game in the second half by tightening up the defensive end of the floor. The Kings entered the game with a seven-point spread against the Magic, according to Vegas.

In the third quarter, the Kings would grow the lead back up. The Kings defense slightly improved from the first half holding the Magic to 25 points in the third, the lowest total of the game so far. On the other hand, the Kings scored 34 points in the third to expand their lead to 104-92, heading into the final 12 minutes.

The Kings managed to hold off the Magic in the fourth quarter and win the game 142-130. The Kings and the Magic played terrible defense in the last quarter, in which the Kings and Magic both scored 38 points.

However, the Kings scored at least 30 points each quarter and held the Magic under 30 points in the third quarter. That was the difference in the game. De’Aaron Fox led the way for the Kings putting up 33 points in 33 minutes of action. Counterpart Cole Anthony led the Magic with 33 points in 35 minutes on the court. The Kings are 5-3 since firing head coach Luke Walton and replacing him with interim coach Alvin Gentry.

Up Next: The Kings head out on the road to take on the Charlotte Hornets on Friday at 4 PM PST.

Warriors beat Blazers by ten 104-94; Curry needs 10 more 3 pointers to pass Allen

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Stephen Curry (30) Golden State Warriors guard takes a three jump shot is now ten away from tying Ray Allen’s NBA record for the most three pointers here Curry takes a shot against the Portland Trailblazers on Wed Dec 8, 2021 at the Chase Center in San Francisco (AP News photo)

By Barbara Mason

Stephen Curry finished with six shots from downtown now ten shots away from the impending record. Otto Porter Jr. had a great game with 15 points off the bench which spelled trouble for the visiting Portland Trail Blazers as the Golden State Warriors come up with a 102-94 win in San Francisco Wednesday night.

Wednesday night the Warriors (21-4) welcomed the Trail Blazers (11-15) to Chase Center. The crowd was hoping for another Golden State win but even more than another win, the crowd was hoping to see Curry break Ray Allen’s record. Currently he is shooting 5.5 3-pointers per game through 20 games. In order to pass Allen Curry needs ten more from downtown.

The Warriors got off to a great start in the first quarter leading 26-23 as the clock ran out on the opening quarter. By halftime Golden State had a slim 47-45 lead. The Trail Blazers had not led in this game although they remained within striking distance for most of the first half. Curry got four shots closer to the anticipated record shooting 4 of 12 from long in the first two quarters.

Known for heating up in the second half, Golden State is most dangerous in the third and fourth quarters. By the fourth quarter the Warriors normally wear their opponents out. The Warriors did extend their lead to 76-66 in the third quarter although the Trail Blazers continued to hang around.

As we have seen so often, Golden State began their fourth quarter surge extending their lead to double digits. Otto Porter Jr. was having an outstanding third and fourth quarter. It was a sloppy finish but the Warriors pulled out the win 104-94 despite the fact that this was their worst shooting night of the year.

Curry would finish the game with 22. Jordan Poole with 20 and Porter with 15 points. The Warriors now head out on the road for five games.

Saturday night the Warriors will be in Philadelphia to take on the 76ers. Tipoff is scheduled for 5:30.

Warriors bounce back to blowout Orlando 126-95; Curry leads with 31 pts

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Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) shows Orlando Magic forward Franz Wagner (22) and center Mo Bamba (5) that they are no match as Curry is on his way to a 31 point night at the Chase Center in San Francisco on Mon Dec 6, 2021 (AP News photo)

Warriors Bounce Back To Blowout Orlando 126-95

By Barbara Mason

After a slow start against the Orlando Magic (5-20) the Golden State Warriors (20-4) fired up the forces displaying some brilliant shooting to completely shut down the Magic winning 126-95.

Monday night the Warriors celebrated Jewish Heritage Night at Chase Center before the game. It was a festive evening for the fans. Golden State was looking to celebrate a win over the Orlando Magic after dropping a lackluster game to the San Antonio Spurs last night. The Warriors needed a bounce back game tonight.

After a bit of a slow start in the first half, the Warriors quickly got back on track leading by 31-26 after one quarter. By the time the first half was a wrap the Warriors led by the score of 65-44 in a first half blowout.

The Magic had a good start dropping four from downtown. In the early minutes of the first quarter leading 12-2. That was when the Warriors did a complete 360 and busted this game wide open. By the end of the first half, Golden State led 65-44 and had dropped a dozen shots from downtown.

The expected blowout was well on it’s way with Stephen Curry leading the team with 4 of 5 on three’s and 19 points. This halftime lead was the largest of the season for the Warriors. Great defense and great work off the bench was a huge part of the first half.

The Magic made up a little ground in the third quarter after trailing by as much as 26 points. They had actually outscored Golden State 36-33 in the quarter. The Warriors were 12 minutes away from win number 20.

The bench finished off this game in a flurry with rookie Jonathan Kuminga shooting nine points in the fourth quarter. With the final of 126-95 Golden State is tied for the best record in the NBA with the Phoenix Suns. The two teams sit atop the Western Conference.

Andrew Wiggins was red hot shooting 8 of 10 from three point range finishing with 28 for the night. “I’m very comfortable right now with this free flowing offense,” said Wiggins after the game. “I take a lot of pride battling every night.” He referred to the long road trip ahead of the team. “We’ve got to grind it out and stick together.” Wiggins added. Curry was 7 of 13 finishing with 31 points and finishing big tonight.

The Warriors will take on the Portland Trail Blazers Wednesday night at Chase Center before heading out on the road for a long road trip. Tipoff is at 7:00 PM.

Golden State Warriors podcast with Barbara Mason: Figuring out how Warriors lost to Spurs; Warriors host Orlando tonight Magic lost 8 of their last 9

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The Golden State Warriors Jordan Poole (right) was defended pretty well by the San Antonio Spurs and guard Tre Jones (left) Sat Dec 4, 2021 at the Chase Center in San Francisco (AP News photo)

On the Warriors podcast with Barbara:

#1 Barbara, on Saturday night the Golden State Warriors (19-4) don’t lose often but the San Antonio Spurs (8-13) defense kept recent high scorers Jordan Poole and Andrew Wiggins in check enough to get their offense to hang with the Warriors for the eventual 112-107 win.

#2 To lose on the home floor to a team that is five games below .500 and the Warriors have been invincible was this a game where they were pretty much having an off night or were the Spurs well prepared and ready to go.

#3 Barbara, talk about the shooting performances of the Spurs top three scorers Derrick White (25), Dejounte Murray (23), and Lonnie walker (21) they seemed lights out all game long against the Warriors.

#4 One important note the Spurs had a 8-1 run against the Warriors in the fourth quarter not to mention White hit a three pointer that got the Spurs a 107-106 lead with 1:43 left in the game. White said the Spurs didn’t panic and they were able to get a three pointer to wipe away the Warriors lead.

#5 The struggling Orlando Magic (5-19) is at Golden State on Monday night at Chase Center. The Magic have lost eight of their last nine games and although no one on Orlando is saying it but they could really have their hands full against Golden State.

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