Category: NBA

Warriors Win Despite Horrific First Half beat OKC 106-98

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The Golden State Warriors Stephen Curry (30) drives against the Oklahoma City Thunder’s forward Luguentz Dort (left) at the Paycom Center in Oklahoma City on Tue Oct 26, 2021 (AP News photo)

Warriors Win Despite Horrific First Half 106-98

By Barbara Mason

The Golden State Warriors (4-0) are coming off a nice win against the Sacramento Kings Sunday night 119-107. Tonight the Warriors continue their two game road trip taking on the Oklahoma City (0-4) Thunder. Although OKC is not one of the elite and in fact struggling, the Warriors need to approach this game as they would against an elite team. They need to limit the turnovers as they did in Sacramento, and get a quick start on the Thunder. The Warriors had a rough start to the game in the first half but over came it with a 106-98 win beating the Thunder on Tuesday night at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City.

The first quarter was not how Golden State wanted to start off this game. They had an immediate turnover and fell behind significantly halfway through the quarter 16-6. The Thunder are the second worst shooting team in the league so this was an ugly start for the Warriors. The average age of the Thunder is 23 years old and so they are a very young team. Getting the early lead did nothing but allow the Thunder to build confidence

At the end of the first quarter the Warriors were still trailing but had cut the deficit to five points 34-29. They had trailed by as much as eleven points. Not known for their three point shooting the Thunder were 5 of 8. It was a surprising start that no one saw coming. OKC was shooting 59% to start the game.

The second quarter did not get much better for Golden State and after four minutes were trailing by 13 points 44-31. The Warriors were not even close to finding the three point range while the Thunder had seven players that had found that range. The final six minutes of the quarter saw the bench take over in an attempt to cut a fifteen point lead by OKC.

The Warriors went on a nice run but the Thunder punched right back. Golden State had pulled to within four points in the waning minutes of the half. The Thunder answered with a flurry of baskets taking a 59-48 lead after the second quarter. If the Warriors wanted to remain undefeated they would have a lot of work to do in the second half.

The difference in this game so far was the three point shooting of OKC. The Warrior’s defense really needed to do a better job in the remainder of this game. Golden State missed far too many open looks and so a better offense was also badly needed.

The only good news for the Warriors was that against a team like OKC catching up and taking the lead would be far easier than falling behind playing an elite team. Golden State had to improve on every level and they had two quarters left to do it.

The Warriors started the second half with more energy but they would have to overcome the confidence that OKC had built in the first half. That confidence began to wane as the Thunder’s lead grew smaller and in the final two minutes of the quarter the Warriors began hitting shots; two great shots by Otto Porter Jr both for three. At the end of the quarter the Warriors had taken the lead for the first time in this game 81-76.

OKC began struggling in the start of the fourth quarter. The Warriors got some great work from Damian Lee who finished with 20 points and was one of the deciding factors as was Andrew Wiggins with 21 points. The Golden State defense was solid in the final quarter another key to this win. For a second game in a row Steph Curry had zero points in the fourth quarter because he didn’t need to score. The bench took this one home for Golden State.

The Warriors will now head home for an eight game home stand starting Thursday with the Memphis Grizzlies. They will take on the Thunder for a second time next Saturday. Tipoff against the Grizzlies on Tuesday is scheduled for 7:00 PM.

Golden State Warriors podcast with Barbara Mason: Warriors go for their fourth straight win in OKC Tuesday night

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The Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) drives on the Sacramento Kings center Richaun Holmes (22) on Sun Oct 24, 2021 at the Golden One Center in Sacramento (AP News photo)

On the Warriors podcast with Barbara:

#1 Barbara, the Golden State Warriors (3-0) have momentum the defeated the Sacramento Kings (1-2) on Sunday night at Golden One Center in Sacramento 119-107 for their third straight win.

#2 The Warriors Stephen Curry lead Golden State in scoring with 27 and Jordan Poole came in second with 22 points the Warriors always depend on Curry’s offense and Poole is coming into his own scoring double figures and getting right behind Curry in the scoring totals.

#3 Curry not only led Golden State in scoring but he became the franchise’s first player to reach 5,000 career assists. Thanks the mark of an unselfish player.

#4 The Warriors Andrew Wiggins scored 17 and Draymond Green finished with 14 for third and fourth in scoring for Green he had six rebounds good enough for second in rebounding against the Kings.

#5 The Warriors head to Oklahoma City to face the Oklahoma Thunder (0-3) Tuesday night who have not won a game yet and you could be assured having home floor and looking to get in the win column the Thunder could play this one like everything is on line after losing three straight games.

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

Levels To This Game: Kings still aren’t where the Warriors are now, lose 119-107

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By Morris Phillips

SACRAMENTO–At Golden 1 Center on Sunday night, the storylines didn’t budge much.

The Kings remain enamored with the Warriors’ style, the small lineups, relentless pace, 3-ball hunting and daring panache.

But the Kings haven’t quite poached their neighbor’s game to the extent needed to prevail.

That, and the Warriors still have Steph, Draymond along with emerging depth.

Golden State broke open a tight game with a 7-2 run to end the third quarter, then pulled away in the fourth, grabbing a 119-107 win over the Kings to stay undefeated.

After dropping their second home game to begin the season, the Kings are 1-2.

“We need to be better in the fourth quarter,” Kings’ coach Luke Walton said. “Part of the problem is we’re slowing the pace down. We have to get out and go.”

“We have to finish games,” said Davion Mitchell, who scored a career-best 22 points. “Throughout the game we have leads, (then) they go on their run and we have a lot of turnovers.”

The Kings were competitive for the first three quarters. Mitchell had 19 of his 22 during that stretch, and Harrison Barnes all of his 24 points, but they unraveled in the fourth, while committing 19 turnovers over the course of the game. Barnes was limited to one miss and three rebounds when he returned with 7:06 remaining, and the Kings trailing 102-98.

Stephen Curry (27 points, and his 500th career assist) and Jordan Poole (20 points) paced the Warriors’ attack, which put six players in double figures.

The Kings got 17 points from De’Aaron Fox, and 16 points and 11 rebounds from Richaun Holmes. Buddy Hield was limited to six points, missing nine of his 11 shots in 25 minutes on the floor.

The Kings matched the Warriors in assists (26 each), made more threes (15-13 edge), and they even mimicked their reduced-sized lineups, but the Warriors were just sharper. The visitors created more high-percentage shot attempts, and backed it up with 20 of 24 made free throws, they set more effective screens, and enjoyed a 12-0 edge in steals.

Draymond Green had a hand in all those areas, as did Otto Porter Jr. Green finished with 14 points, six rebounds, six assists, and Porter had five points, nine rebounds, three assists, three steals and a block in 24 minutes off the bench.

“We were rock solid with the ball,” coach Steve Kerr said. “We had multiple guys come in off the bench and play well.”

The Kings didn’t have anyone in their nine-man rotation struggle other than Hield with his shooting, but the playmaking from their guard quartet of Fox, Tyrese Haliburton, Hield and Mitchell was a mixed bag. The four tallied 22 assists, but committed 13 turnovers and the Kings were held to 19 points in the fourth.

Also, Walton wasn’t pleased that Warriors’ reserves ruled the first half of the fourth, and his team did little to stop it.

“You can’t do that, you can’t give Steph Curry and Draymond Green a six-point lead when they come back in the game. It just can’t happen,” Walton said. “We talked about it as a staff, as a team, really. But it’s one thing to talk about. It’s another thing to go out there and do it.”

Nemanja Bjelica, the former King, had the least effective game of his three thus far for the Warriors, missing all five of his shots in 10 minutes of action.

Sacramento opens a four-game road trip in Phoenix against the Suns on Wednesday night.

Undefeated Warriors Win Third in a row 119-107; Curry outscores with 27 and gets 5,000 career assist

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Stephen Curry (30) led Golden State Warriors with scoring with 30 and chalked up his 5,000 career assist at the Golden One Center in Sacramento (AP News photo)

Undefeated Warriors Win Third In A Row 119-107   


By Barbara Mason

Sunday night the Golden State Warriors (3-0) took on the Sacramento Kings (1-2) at Golden 1 Center only to win their third straight game and stay undefeated with a 119-107 win, it was the Kings second loss.  The Warriors are unblemished in the 2021-22 season winning every pre-season game and coming off their second win of the young season against the Clippers 115-113.Sunday they were looking for their third win in a row up in Sacramento.  The Kings lost to the Jazz 110-101 in their last game on Friday night.


Game Recap: After the first quarter the Kings led by the slim margin of 31-29.  When these two teams meet they really make each other work and they tend to play very close.

In the second quarter the Kings did lead by as many asseven points but the Warriors very nearly tied the game at halftime.  The score was 62-60 in favor of the Kings. Steph Curry had 17 points in the first half and Damian Lee had 9 off the bench.  Davion Mitchell had a great game off the bench for the Kings with 17 points.  

Harrison Barnes had 14 points in the half.  Barnes was 5-8 from downtown and Mitchell was 3-6 outside the circles a very competitive game which looked nothing like the first few games of the season.  As I said, these two teams make each other work and they were both pulling out all the stops.

 
The fact that the Warriors were playing the Kings so close was impressive since they were not shooting that wellin the first half.  In the third quarter the Warriors were 7 of 23 on threes.  So many players were contributing in this game on both sides as the score remained either tied or within a couple of points.  At the end of the third quarter the score was 90-88 in favor of the Warriors. After a hot start for the Kings, Davion Mitchell had gone cold which was bad news for the Kings.  

They would need him in the final quarter.  


There was a long way to go in this game entering the fourth quarter.  Although it’s early in the season, the Kings have vastly improved in many facets of their game.  They were certainly giving the Warriors a run for their money. 
With just under five minutes left in the game, “Curry the Closer”  entered the game.  

The Warriors had taken a107-101 lead with some great defensive stops.  Golden State was also containing De”Aaron Fox which was bigfor the Warriors.  Only five turnovers in the game was avast improvement over the 21 turnovers that they committed last Thursday night.  


The Warriors continued to extend their lead to what was the biggest lead of the night 115-105 with just under two minutes left in the game.  The Kings were running out of time.   The Warriors closed out this game beautifully winning 119-107.  Six players in double figures for the Warriors and some great ball control.


Curry would finish with 27 points for the high and Jordan Poole would have 22 points.  Off the bench Damian Lee had 11 points for the high.  Harrison Barnes had a nice Game for the Kings with 24 points 
“Coach Kerr told me I would have the opportunity to play so to be ready,” said Gary Payton !! who had a 10 point nights.  “Every time I check in I try to do the best for the team,” he said.  The Warriors had some great help off the bench in this game.


Tuesday night the Warriors will play the OKC Thunder at Chesapeake Energy Arena in Oklahoma City.  Tipoff is at 5:00 PM.

Jazz pull away from Kings late in fourth quarter for 110-101 win

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The Utah Jazz Donovan Mitchell (front) tries to out run and out gun Sacramento Kings Davion Mitchell (15) in first half action at the Golden One Center in Sacramento on Fri Oct 22, 2021 (AP News photo)

SACRAMENTO–The Sacramento Kings (1-1) on Wednesday night opened up the season on the road in Portland with a win. The Kings were excited to return home on Friday night to a packed Golden One Center crowd that hadn’t been allowed in the since March of 2020. The Kings opened the season on Wednesday pulling out a narrow victory 124-121 in the unfriendly confines in Portland.

The Kings were set to face the Utah Jazz (2-0) on Friday. Utah came into Friday’s matchup having played on Wednesday in Utah. They handily beat the OKC Thunder 107-86. The Kings took a tough loss on Friday night 110-101 for their first loss of the season.

First Half: The Kings played an up and down half.

The intensity in the first quarter was palpable as the Kings began putting on an offensive show for the home crowd. In the first quarter, the Kings outscored the Jazz 26-24 as Harrison Barnes led the way for the Kings in the first quarter as he scored 8 points.

It should be noted that the Jazz Joe Ingles was ejected after a flagrant two foul was assessed him on a foul against Davion Mitchell. The foul took the legs out from under Mitchell and so the penalty was handed down. The Kings would look to keep the defensive intensity up in the second quarter to keep the lead at halftime.

In the second quarter, the Kings offense stalled a bit. Thankfully for the Kings, the Jazz weren’t able to do much on the offensive end either. The Jazz only scored 22 points in the quarter as the Kings defense kept the pressure on the shooters of the Jazz.

On the other hand, the Kings managed to score 26 points to pull even further ahead of the Jazz heading into halftime. The Kings would take a 52-46 into halftime looking to seal things off in the second half. Leading the way for the Kings in the first half was Harrison Barnes who scored 12 points. Donovan Mitchell led the Jazz as he also scored 12 points.

Second Half: The Kings would come out with good energy in the second half.

In the third quarter, the Kings entered the quarter with good offensive and defensive intensity. However, as the quarter progressed the Kings would lose grip on the lead. The Jazz went on a run to end the quarter and managed to score 35 points compared to the Kings 28 points.

The Kings missed some rotations on defense and as a whole, the Jazz shot the ball much better. The Jazz took an 81-80 lead into the final quarter. The Kings would need to tighten up the defensive end and start hitting more shots to win the game.

In the fourth quarter, the teams traded baskets for the majority of the quarter. The Jazz went on a bit of a run to start followed by the Kings coming back and tying the game with 4:57 left in the game. The sequence was punctuated by a Tyrese Haliburton steal and dunk.

For the remainder of the game, the Jazz took over the momentum. The Jazz ended up scoring 29 points compared to the Kings 21. A careless turnover with under two minutes left desperately cost the Kings as it shifted the momentum fully to the Jazz who took advantage.

It was a strong effort from the Kings but ultimately the shooting of the Jazz down the stretch did the Kings in. Leading the way for the Kings in defeat was Harrison Barnes who scored 25 points closely followed by Buddy Hield who scored 24. The Jazz were treated to a 27 point game from Donovan Mitchell to lead the way in victory.

Up Next: The Kings will take on the Golden State Warriors on Sunday at 6 PM PST in Sacramento.

Sacramento Kings podcast with Jeremiah Salmonson: Kings home opener tonight at Golden One against Utah Jazz

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De’Aaron Fox (5) the Sacramento Kings guard drives past the Portland Trail Blazers Damian Lillard (0) on Wed Oct 20, 2021 at Moda Center in Portland (AP News photo)

On the Kings podcast with Jeremiah:

#1 Jeremiah, what else can you say about the Sacramento Kings they’re looking good they went 5-0 in pre season and won their opening night game on the road in Portland on Wednesday night 124-121.

#2 Four players finished in double figures top scorer Harrison Barnes topped the leaderboard with 36 points and was instrumental in the Kings offense.

#3 The Kings De’Aaron Fox 27 points and Richaun Holmes 21 points finished in second and third how important will they be for the Kings this season.

#4 It looks like head coach Luke Walton has this team prepared whether it was pre season or the regular season it’s early but the Kings are showing a lot of confidence.

#5 The Kings host the Utah Jazz tonight for the home opener at Golden One Center. The Jazz won their last game rather convincingly 107-86 Wednesday night in Utah. The Jazz top scorer you might remember Bojan Bogdanovic the former King who finished on top with 22 points. How do you see this match up tonight between the Jazz and Kings?

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

Warriors Win a thriller at Chase 115-113 defeat Clippers

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Golden State Warriors guard is exalted after converting a three pointer against the Los Angeles Clippers at Chase Center in San Francisco on Thu Oct 21, 2021 (AP News photo)

Warriors Win A Thriller At Chase 115-113

By Barbara Mason

Tuesday night the Golden State Warriors started the season with a 121-114 win over the Los Angeles Clippers. Despite a triple double, Steph Curry felt that he played like trash but was thankful that the team won.

Perhaps the one thing that the team was lacking in their first game was the home crowd. Fast forward to Thursday night and their second game of the season, a home game against the Clippers. Chase Center was in for a treat in the first quarter. We always get something special when Stephen Curry is on the floor. He did not disappoint.

The first quarter was the Curry Show that we did not get to see in the first game. Fans were treated to an amazing offensive display. He had 25 first quarter points propelling the team to a 44-27 lead.

When it looked like a runaway, the Clipper’s went on a 23 to 3 run taking the lead at halftime 67-66. It was a crazy turnaround. Los Angeles shut down Curry allowing only 3 points in the second quarter. It was a quiet half for Jordan Poole with only five points and Draymond Greene came up empty in the first half. The Warriors would have to reclaim the play that gave them the huge lead in the first quarter. Some support from Poole and Green would be key as well as getting some nice open looks for Curry.

The Clippers led at the end of the third quarter 93-90. The Warriors were shooting 52% and desperately trying to find their way back into this game.

In the fourth quarter Golden State took back the lead 99-98 with 5:53 left in the game. The Warriors had gone on a run of their own 9-0. With 3:16 left the game was tied at 104. This game was going down to the wire.

Golden State would pull this game out in the last 4.7 seconds. With Curry at the free throw line the inevitable two points put the Warriors ahead 115-112. The final was 115-113 in favor of the Warriors. Curry would finish with 45 points with Green and Wiggins in double digits. This was a hotly contested game that could have gone either way. It was the terrific offensive and defensive play of Golden State in the closing minutes that was the difference.

“Tonight was another step in the right direction for us as a team,” said Curry after the game. “We have a lot of room to grow.”

The Warriors will be back on the court to take on the Sacramento Kings Sunday at Golden 1 Center. Tipoff is scheduled for 6:00.

Kings edge Trail Blazers 124-121

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The Portland Trail Blazers guard Damion Lillard (0) tries to drive underneath the Sacramento Kings center Richaun Holmes during the first half on opening night at the Moda Center in Portland on Wed Oct 20, 2021 (AP News photo)

Kings Edge the Trail Blazers 124-121

By Barbara Mason

After a most successful pre-season the Sacramento Kings (1-0) took on the Portland Trail Blazers (0-1) on the road at Moda Center in Portland and picked up an opening night win 124-121 to start the regular season. In the pre-season the Kings beat the Phoenix Suns, the Clippers, the Trail Blazers and last Thursday beat the winless Los Angeles Lakers to finish an unblemished pre-season 4-0. They took that winning streak to start the 2021-22 season Wednesday night.

In the pre-season, the Kings De’Aaron Fox and Harrison Barnes had some great performances as well as Buddy Hield and Terence Davis off the bench; performances that they hope to take into the regular season.

Game recap: The first quarter in Portland saw the Kings with a narrow one point lead 23-24 as the clock ran out. De’Aaron Fox had high points in the quarter with ten. The one thing that hurt the Kings last season was their defense. They will be looking for a much improved defense to start the season.

The Kings led for much of the first half. After two quarters Sacramento lead by the score of 62-49. At the half De’Aaron Fox had shot for 16 points and off the bench Buddy Hield had nine points. CJ McCollum finished the first half with 14 points and Damian Lilliard had ten points. Going into the third quarter, the Kings will have to continue to keep the pressure on the Trail Blazers offensively and defensively.

Sacramento continued to apply pressure on both ends of the court in the third quarter. They led 100-85 as the quarter ended and Harrison Barnes really amped up shooting 26 points. Buddy Hield had 12 off the bench as the Kings really dominated the Trail Blazers in the quarter.

After trailing by as many as 17 points the Trail Blazers fought back to within three points with under three minutes left in the game. The Kings would pull it together and squeak out their first win of the season. Harrison Barnes and Buddy Hield both shot a couple of free throws to ice this game. It was a heartbreaker for the Trail Blazers after they made such a valiant comeback that just fell short.

Harrison Barnes finished with 36 points and De’Aaron Fox had 27. Buddy had 17 points off the bench. It was a great way to start off the season for the Kings.

The Kings will next take on the Utah Jazz Friday October 22 at Golden One Center in Sacramento the Kings home opener. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:00 PM.

Warriors Win Season opener 121-114 over Lakers

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Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (6) leaps to block Golden State Warriors guard Jordan Poole’s (3) shot during the first half at Staples Center in Los Angeles on opening night Tue Oct 19, 2021 (AP News photo)

Warriors Win Season Opener 121-114

By Barbara Mason

It is finally here. The first game of the 82 game NBA season. In a great rivalry it was fitting that the Golden State Warriors took on the Los Angeles Lakers to start the season.

The Warriors took on a formidable roster facing LeBron James, Anthony Davis, Carmelo Anthony and Russell Westbrook. The Lakers fearsome foursome could not stop Golden State at Staples Center on opening night as the Warriors win it 121-114.

The Warriors had too many fouls in the first quarter and didn’t really get into the flow of the game until the latter part of the quarter. When they settled down, the Warriors began to play some very competitive basketball. At the end of the first quarter they trailed by a single basket 34-32. Stephen Curry and Andre Iguodala each had eight points.

Sloppy play in the second quarter by Golden State gave the Lakers a 59-53 halftime lead. Turnovers and far too many missed shots really hurt the Warriors in the quarter. Curry was 1-4 from downtown and finished the half with ten points. LeBron James was 7-10, perfect beyond the arc at 2-2 turning in 18 points. Anthony Davis also had a great half with 20 points.

The Lakers extended their lead to nine points in the third quarter but it was the final two minutes that were big for the Warriors. They outscored the Lakers nine to one and trailed again by a single basket 85-83.

The Warriors had a nice run in the early going of the fourth quarter leading 98-90. The Lakers came storming back to pull to within two points with under five minutes left in the game. The Warriors started dropping in three’s as a frenzied final four minutes ensued. With 2 1/2 minutes left in the game the Warriors led 115-103. The Lakers came on strong late in the final quarter but it was too little too late. After trailing for much of the game, the Warriors iced this game in the fourth quarter.

This was a big opening night win for the Warriors. It was a triple double for Curry. He finished with 21 points. According to Curry himself, he played like trash. He was very pleased to be able to pull this game out. Jordan Poole would finish with 20, and Damian Lee and Nemanja Bjelica both had 15 off the bench.

On Thursday night the Warriors will be taking on the Clippers at home. Tipoff is schedule for 7:00 PM.

Golden State Warriors podcast with Barbara Mason: Warriors open 2021-22 against Lakers on Tuesday night in the Southland

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Golden State Warrior Stephen Curry (30) as he appeared in this Mar 29, 2021 photo against the Chicago Bulls at the Chase Center in San Francisco led the Warriors in scoring with 41 in the their last pre season game on Fri Oct 15th against the Portland Trailblazers at Chase Center (AP News file photo)

On the Warriors podcast with Barbara:

#1 Barbara taking a look at the Golden State Warriors roster for the 2021-22 season the total cost on just players was $334 million.

#2 Barbara in the final pre season game Stephen Curry showed off his handy work scoring 41 points looks like he’s picked up where he left off from last season.

#3 The Warriors have rolled to a perfect record in pre season play, was this by design that other teams didn’t want to show their strengths before the regular season starts or the Warriors are really that good.

#4 Andrew Wiggins sat because of a knee injury and head coach Steve Kerr that Wiggins is not quite where he wants to be that kept him out for a couple days worth of practice.

#5 The Los Angeles Lakers did not win one pre season game going 0-5 was this a matter of the Lakers not wanting show all their cards toward the regular season or is there something to worry about as they will host the Warriors at Staples Center on Tuesday night’s opener.

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