Category: NBA

Warriors slow down Zion Williamson express win 123-108; Curry scores 41 points

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The New Orleans Pelicans Zion Williamson (1) puts up a hand to stop the Golden State Warriors Ken Bazemore’s (right) shot on Mon May 3, 2021 in New Orleans (AP News photo)

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Golden State Warriors 32-32) met the New Orleans Pelicans (29-36) for the first time this season Monday Night. With eight players available, the Warriors knew they had to find a way to stop the Pelicans’ big man, Zion Williamson. Williamson loves to go to the rim, and he usually gets fouled on his way there.

Warriors’ head coach, Steve Kerr, wanted his team to a strong start and not play catch up. The team responded to their coach’s wishes as they finished the first quarter leading 39-21. The Warriors did not relinquish the lead the entire game as they beat the Pelicans by a final score of 123-108.

In 11th place in the Western Conference, the Pelicans needed a victory Monday night to close within 2 1/2 games of the Warriors if they hoped to make the playoffs. A loss would severely hurt the Pelicans’ hopes for a playoff berth.

The Warriors came out smoking. They sprinted out to an early 17-5 lead. The Pelicans’ offense woke up to go on a 9-0 run to close within three 17-14. Stephen Curry, along with Andrew Wiggins and Juan Toscano-Anderson, had other thoughts. Curry connected on three threes to pace the Warriors to an 18-point lead at the end of the first quarter, 39-21. Curry had 17 points in the first 12 minutes of play.

The Pelicans scored the first six points of the second quarter to close within 12. Jordan Poole, Andrew Wiggins, And Juan Toscano-Anderson built the lead up to 22, 53-31. The Warriors continued to lead by twenty 66-46 with 40 seconds left in the first half.

The Pelicans took advantage of Warrior miscues in the last 40 seconds to score eight points, and they left the court trailing by 12, 66-54 but feeling confident that they could come back and win the game in the second half. Curry led the Warriors with 21. Wiggins had 14, Toscano-Anderson 10. Zion Williamson had 18 for New Orleans. Brandon Ingram had 11.

The Pelicans started the third quarter with a bucket to make it 66-56. Curry answered with two three-pointers to give the Warriors a 16-point advantage, 72-56. The Pelicans went on the offensive with a 14-3 run to close within six 79-73. Curry righted the ship as the Warriors finished the third quarter with a 15-point lead 95-80.

Andrew Wiggins was the key player on the second unit that started the fourth quarter. Andrew knocked down two threes and two two-point baskets to put the Warriors ahead 105-87. Draymond Green came back into the game with nine minutes left, and Curry came back with eight minutes remaining.

Curry had to be careful as he had committed four fouls. The Warriors found a way to stop Williamson, Brandon Ingram, and Lonzo Ball. The Warriors led 119-100 after Kent Bazemore knocked down a three. Steve Kerr inserted his seldom-used bench players to finish the game. The Warriors win 123-108.

Game notes and Stats-With the win, the Warriors are 33-32 for the year. They have seven games left in the regular season. They play one more on the road Tuesday night in New Orleans. The final six are at the Chase Center in San Francisco. The Pelicans are now 29-36 with seven games left on their schedule. They play the Warriors Tuesday night and once more in San Francisco.

The Scoring leader for the Warriors was, are you ready for this, Curry. Curry’s line was 41 points, four rebounds, and eight assists. Curry was 14-foe-26 from the floor and 8-for-18 from three-point range. Andrew Wiggins, again playing well on both ends of the court, contributed 26 points.

Green had another triple-double. The Warriors rarely lose when Green records a triple-double, and Monday night was not an exception. Green’s line was ten points, 13 rebounds, and 15 assists. Toscano-Anderson had 14, Jordan Poole 11, Bazemore 9.

The Warriors shot 53% from the floor and made 17 three in 44 attempts. On defense, the Warriors had nine steals and eight blocked shots. They forced 16 Pelican turnovers that resulted in 29 points for the Warriors. The one negative was the number of fouls they committed.

The Pelicans were awarded 32 free throws. They made 25. The Warriors scored 12. That 13-point difference made the game seem closer than it was. Zion Williamson let the Pelicans with 32. Brandon Ingram finished with 19. Eric Bledsoe had 11. The Warriors held Lonzo Ball to seven points. Ball was one-for-nine from downtown.

The Warriors meet the Pelicans again Tuesday night in New Orleans. The game will start at 5 pm.

Hield and Bagley get enough scoring together Kings defeat Mavs 111-99

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The Sacramento Kings forward Marvin Bagley III (35) attempts to put up a shot against the Dallas Mavericks Jalen Brunson (13) and Willie Cauley-Stein (33) on Sun May 2, 2021 at the American Airlines Center in Dallas (AP News photo0

By Jessica Kwong

The Sacramento Kings swept the contending Dallas Mavericks on Sunday night with a 111-99 victory at the American Airlines Center.

While the Kings are 12th in the Western Conference and face an uphill battle to reach the 10th seed to qualify for the play-in tournament, they had no trouble defeating the Mavericks in all three games within a 15-day span.

“All three of the games came during a stretch when we were playing pretty well from the standpoint of togetherness and rebounding and our defense was solid tonight,” Kings coach Luke Walton said. “It takes that type of effort to give yourself a chance to win.”

Buddy Hield scored 27 points and Marvin Bagley III got 23 points and nine rebounds. Together, Hield and Bagley had 13 points in a 15-3 run that gave Sacramento a 87-70 lead in the third quarter.

Dallas got within six points in the last two minutes of the game. Hield beat the shot clock with a triple to put the Kings up 106-97. Hield was 6 of 10 from the three-point line and Sacramento was 11 of 28.

The Kings never trailed on Sunday or in the second matchup in Dallas, starting both with an 8-0 lead. The Mavericks evened the score several times but were unable to pull ahead. Sacramento won the first game 121-107 in Dallas and trailed for only 42 seconds.

Sacramento suffered another injury on Sunday as rookie Tyrese Halliburton suffered an injury to his left knee and left the game in the arid quarter. The Kings are missing De’Aaron Fox due to coronavirus protocols and Harrison Barnes due to a left thigh injury, both of them starters.

The Kings continue to their third game in a four-game road trip on Tuesday against the Oklahoma City Thunder. Tipoff is at 8 p.m. at Chesapeake Energy Arena.

NBA podcast with Joe Hawkes: Kings coming off big win against Lakers face Mavericks tonight; Golden State still trying to get a playoff spot

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The Sacramento Kings Richaun Holmes (22) puts the defense on the Los Angeles Lakers LaBron James (23) on Fri Apr 30, 2021 at Staples Center in Los Angeles (AP News photo)

#1 The Sacramento Kings (26-37) got a rather big win over the Los Angeles Lakers (36-27) at Staples Center on Friday night 110-106 for the Kings second win over the Lakers this season.

#2 The Lakers saw LaBron James make his first appearance since going on the injured list on Friday. LaBron scored only 16 points finishing third in scoring. Is this a matter of LaBron is not fully recovered from his injuries or he’s just a little rusty?

#3 Richaun Holmes 22 pts and Tyrese Haliburton 23 pts were the Kings top two scorers on Friday a big help in the Kings win over the Lakers.

#4 Taking a look at the Golden State Warriors (32-32) the Warriors trounced the Houston Rockets (16-48) on Saturday night in Houston 113-87 the win comes off the Warriors getting crushed by the Dallas Mavericks (34-27) 133-103 and second straight loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves (20-44) on Thursday night 126-114. It has to be a big relief for Golden State to get back in the win column.

#5 Stephen Curry had his way with the Houston Rockets on Saturday night scoring 30 points for a 113-87 win. The Warriors looked they got their old groove back on.

Join J Hawkes for the NBA podcasts each Sunday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

 

Curry’s big third quarter sinks Rockets 113-87

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The Golden State Warriors Stephen Curry (30) is jubilant after scoring a three point shot against the Houston Rockets Armoni Brooks (7) during Sat May 1, 2021 game in Houston (Houston Chronicle photo)

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Golden State Warriors (32-32) faced the downtrodden Houston Rockets (16-48) at the Toyota Center in Houston Saturday night. The Rockets, without their star John Wall, beat the Milwaukee Bucks Thursday night behind Kevin Porter’s outstanding performance. Porter, who is 20-years-old knocked down 50 points, leading Houston to victory. The Rockets’ management discharged their head coach, Muke D’Antoni, at the end of last season. The Rockets traded Russell Westbrook to the Washinton Wizards, and James Harden went to the Brooklyn Nets.

The Rockets have struggled all season long, and it appears they will be one of the three teams with the worst record in the NBA. Having lost two in a row, the Warriors needed to take advantage of the Rockets to stay in the race for a ninth or tenth spot in the Western Conference standings. Things didn’t go well in the first half of the game. The Rockets found a way to contain Stephen Curry. The Warriors got their act together in the third quarter and were able to win easily 113-87.

The Warriors’ offense in the first two quarters left a lot to the imagination. Curry made two threes in ten tries. The Rockets held him to seven points. The Rockets finished the first quarter with a two-point lead 24-22. The Rockets went on a 9-3 run to start the second quarter to lead 33-25. Curry returned with about six minutes left in the period. Houston kept answering every Warrior basket. The Rockets led at halftime 55-49.

The third quarter was a different story. Warriors head coach Steve Kerr must have read the riot act to his team during the halftime break. They did not play well against the Dallas Mavericks, and they folded against the Minnesota Timberwolves in the fourth quarter Thursday night.

They could not afford to lose to Houston. Kerr’s words must have resonated with the Warriors as they came out smoking to start the third quarter. Golden State went on a 28-4 run to start play in the period. At one point, they scored 24 unanswered points. Curry was on fire. He scored 23 points in his 12 minutes on the floor. He connected on five threes in seven tries. The Warriors outscored the Rockets 39-12 in the quarter to lead 87-67.

The Warriors had Curry and Draymond Green on the bench for the entire fourth quarter. Andrew Wiggins, Mychal Mulder, and Jordan Poole provided the offense as the Warriors cruised to victory 113-87

Game Notes and Stats: With the win, the Warriors are 32-32 for the year. They have two more road games left for the year. They will play both against the New Orleans Pelicans. They lead the Pelicans by 3 1/2 games for the final playoff spot. The first game with New Orleans will be Monday night. The Warriors play the last six games of the season at the Chase Center.

The Warriors used eight players again for the second game in a row. Kelly Oubre, Jr. was out with a wrist problem. Damion Lee is still on Covid-19 protocol, and Eric Paschall missed another game due to a hip flexor. Paschall is improving and will be back soon, possibly next week.

Curry had another 30-point game. He had 30 points, six rebounds, and five assists. He was nine-for-23 from the floor and 7-fo-17 from downtown. Andrew Wiggins continued his excellent play on both ends of the court. Wiggins poured in 20 points.

He pulled down two rebounds and had two assists. Mychal Mulder and Jordan Poole each had 17 points. Mulder connected on five threes. Draymond Green nearly had a triple-double. Green scored nine points, pulled down 11 rebounds, and recorded eight assists.

As a team, the Warriors shot 46% from the floor. They made 18 threes in 46 attempts. They moved the ball well, especially in the second half, with 32 assists on 39 made field goals. They had ten steals and eight blocks on defense. They forced 18 Rockets turnover that resulted in 20 points for the Warriors.

The Warriors meet the Pelicans in New Orleans Monday Night. The game will start at 4:30 pm. 

Sacramento Kings game wrap: Kings defeat Lakers for second time this season 110-106

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The score says it as the Sacramento Kings pick up their second win of the 2021 season against the Los Angeles Lakers this time at Staples Center in Los Angeles on Fri Apr 30, 2021 (@NBA photo)

By Jeremiah Salmonson

The Kings were back in action in action on Friday night. The Kings last played on Wednesday as they took on the Utah Jazz. However, before we get into that game the Kings played the Los Angeles Lakers on Friday. The Kings managed to pull off the victory in Lebron James return to action as they won the game 110-106.

Flashback Wednesday: The Kings had their worst game of the season on Wednesday against arguably the best team in the NBA the Utah Jazz. The Kings played an embarrassing game in which they weren’t able to even compete against the Jazz. The Jazz handles the Kings easily by the final of 154-105. If it weren’t for the Kings Justin James hitting a three as time expired the Kings would have lost the game by 50 points.

Friday night recap: The Kings were set to take on the Los Angeles Lakers on Friday night in LA.

In the first half, the Kings and Lakers went back and fourth. The Kings outscored the Lakers in the first quarter 30-23 as the Kings came out of the gate strong. In the second quarter, the script flipped. The Lakers outscored the Kings 33-25 to take the lead goin into halftime. The Lakers took a 56-55 lead into halftime looking to close out the Kings.

In the second half, the Kings battled. The third quarter saw the Lakers outscore the Kings 32-23. That meant the Kings would need to come from behind to win as the Lakers took a 88-78 lead into the final quarter. The fourth quarter was one of the best this year for the Kings.

The Kings managed to score 32 points compared to holding the Lakers to only 18 points in the final quarter. The Kings would win the game by the final of 110-106. The game came down the the Lakers as Lebron James missed the game winning three-pointer with 0.9 seconds left on the clock. It was a great win for the Kings coming off one of the worst losses in franchise history.

Up Next: The Kings travel to Dallas to take on the Mavericks on Sunday night at 5 PM PST.

Sacramento Kings podcast with Jeremiah Salmonson: Kings face Lakers in the Southland tonight; LeBron close to returning maybe tonight

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The Los Angeles Lakers Anthony Davis has been carrying the load since LeBron James injury. Dennis Schroeder says LeBron should be back sometime in May. The Sacramento Kings tip off against the Lakers tonight at 7:30pm at Staples Center in Los Angeles (AP News photo)

On the Kings podcast with Jeremiah:

#1 Jeremiah the Sacramento Kings (25-37) certainly would like to shake off the stain of their loss to the Utah Jazz on Wednesday night at Golden One Center in Sacramento in a 49 point loss.

#2 Former Sacramento King Bojan Bogdanovic led the Jazz scorers with 24 points and was followed up by Jordan Clarkson with 23 two players that the Kings had a hard time defending.

#3 The Kings had to rely on scoring from Richaun Holmes and Buddy Hield each who scored 18 points but they really missed De’Aaron Fox out of the lineup.

#4 The Lakers Dennis Schroeder said that LeBron is close to returning sometime in May. In the meantime the Lakers depend on players like Schroeder as they have lost six of their last ten games. Do you see the Kings having a chance to win this one tonight in LA against a team that’s playing without LeBron?

#5 For Sacramento Kings head coach Luke Walton it’s a sink or swim situation according to insiders that cover the Kings. After carrying a nine game losing streak winning two out of three and the getting trounced by the Jazz it’s a tough situation for Walton’s future.

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

Timberwolves outlast Warriors to win 126-114

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The Golden State Warriors Stephen Curry (30) struggles on offense against the Minnesota Timberwolves Ricky Rubio (9) on Thu Apr 29, 2021 at the Target Center in Minneapolis (AP News photo)

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Golden State Warriors (31-32) started the final four-game road trip of the season on a sour note Thursday night at the Target Center in Minneapolis. Then suddenly resurgent Minnesota Timberwolves (20-44) played well in the final 12 minutes of the game to down the Warriors 126-114.

The Timberwolves have won their last four in a row and six of the last eight. Even though the Warriors lost, it was not all bad news. The Warriors will benefit if Minnesota continues to play well. If Minnesota does not finish in the top three in the lottery, the Warriors will get their first-round draft pick.

The Timberwolves currently have the third-worst record in the NBA. The Pick would not go to the Golden State if the season ended today. The Wolves, however, may pass either Detroit or Oklahoma City in the standings. If they do, the Warriors will get the pick.

The Warriors were without the services of forward Kelly Oubre, Jr. Thursday night. Oubre has been an offensive sparkplug coming off the bench. His absence meant the Warriors were down to eight players. Kent Bazemore was back in the lineup after missing several games due to NBA Covid-19 protocols.

The teams played a hotly contested game for all four quarters. The Timberwolves, coached by former Toronto Raptor assistant coach Chris Finch, took a page out of the Raptors’ playbook. Finch has his team double team, Stephen Curry, all night long. The Timberwolves decided to stop Steph and let the other four players on the court figure out how to beat them.

The Plan worked in the first quarter. The Timberwolves held Curry to five points in the first twelve minutes of action. Andrew Wiggins, facing his former teammates, carried the water for the Warriors. The game was tied at 25-25 when Minnesota went on a 10-0 run to finish the quarter leading 35-25. 

The Warriors’ second unit went on a 10-2 run early in the second quarter to get within four 39-35. The Warriors trailed until late in the first half until Curry got hot. Curry made a three to make it 55-54. The Wolves connected on a three to go ahead by four. Curry made two frees, then made a steal and a bucket to tie the game, 58-58. The Timberwolves scored the last bucket of the first half to lead 60-58. Andrew Wiggins paced the Warrior attack with 18 points. Steph had 13. Karl-Anthony Towns led the Wolves with 11. Veteran guard Rickey Rubio had 10. The Timberwolves were 10-for-21 from three-point range. 

The Timberwolves started the third quarter on an 8-0 run to lead 68-58. The Warriors did not fold. They fought back but could not get the lead back. The Warriors tied the game 87-87. Minnesota responded with a two-point basket to lead 89-87. Curry made a four-point play to give the Warriors the lead 91-87. Minnesota scored a basket and the third quarter ended with the Warriors ahead by two. 

As per head coach Steve Kerr’s plans, Curry and Draymond Green would sit on the bench for about the first six minutes of the fourth quarter. The Warriors second unit had their work cut out for them. The Wolves star rookie, Anthony Edwards, came out firing.

The Warriors had no answer. Minnesota went on a 10-2 run to lead 106-99. The Timberwolves’ defense stopped the Warriors’ offense in the last six minutes of the game. Minnesota continued to make three-pointers. Karl-Anthony Towns and Juancho Hernangomez made back-to-back threes to go ahead by ten 117-107. The Warriors ran out of time, and they lost by a final score of 126-114.

Game Notes and Stats: With the loss, The Warriors are 31-32 for the season with nine games left on the schedule. The Timberwolves are 20-44.

The Warriors had five players in double figures. Curry led the team with 37 points, six rebounds, and eight assists. Curry was 11-for-27 from the floor, and he made six threes in 17 tries. Wiggins finished with 27 points, four boards, three assists, and made three threes in six attempts.

Green had 11 points, five boards, and five assists. Bazemore had a double-double with ten points and ten rebounds. Mychal Mulder had 11. As a team, the Warriors shot 49% from the floor. They made 15 threes in 38 attempts. The taller Timberwolf team outrebounded them 68-41. The Wolves pulled down 16 offensive rebounds. The Warriors had four.

Anthony Edwards led the Timberwolves with 25 points. Town had a double-double with 22 points and 11 boards. Ricky Rubio had 22. Rubio knocked down five threes. Naz Reid had 13. The Timberwolves made 20 three-point shots in 41 tries. Teams with 20 threes and shoot about 50% are 43-0.

The Warriors tipoff against the Rockets in Houston Saturday night, The game will start at 4:30 pm.

Sacramento Kings podcast with Tony Renteria: Kings were no match for Utah

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The Sacramento Kings had one positive thing going for them on Wednesday when the signed Chemizie Metu to a multi year contract before they met the Utah Jazz on Wed Apr 28, 2021 at Golden One Center in Sacramento (@SacramentoKings photo)

#1 Tony it wasn’t even close as the Utah Jazz (45-17) came into Golden One Center and took care of business and the Sacramento Kings (25-37) 154-105 on Wednesday night.

#2 The Jazz dominated in each quarter it was all Utah from start to finish.

#3 For the Jazz a big first half of scoring against the Kings 30 points in the first quarter and 46 in the second quarter the Kings defense simply didn’t have an answer for them.

#4 The Jazz defense also kept the Kings top scorers in check with Richaun Holmes and Buddy Hield with just 18 points they certainly missed De’Aaron Fox in the lineup who is out with an injury.

#5 Things don’t get easier as the Kings will travel to Los Angeles to face the Lakers on Friday night at Staples Center although the Lakers have lost six of their last ten you can never underestimate them.

Join Tony for the Kings podcasts each Thursday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Sacramento Kings game wrap: Kings just can’t keep up Jazz too much in 154-105 loss

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The score says it all as the Sacramento Kings get trounced by the Utah Jazz by 49 points at Golden One Center in Sacramento on Wed Apr 28, 2021 (@JazzNationNews image)

By Jeremiah Salmonson

The Sacramento Kings were back in action on Wednesday night. The Kings last played on Monday night against the Dallas Mavericks. On Wednesday, the Kings were scheduled to take on the best team in the NBA, the Utah Jazz. The Kings weren’t able to match the power of the Jazz and ultimately lost 154-105 on Wednesday night. However, before we talk about the Jazz matchup let’s revisit the Kings last game against the Mavericks.

Flashback Monday: On Monday, the Kings took on the Dallas Mavericks in Sacramento. The Kings played a well-rounded game against a formidable opponent from Texas. The Kings managed to beat the Mavericks 113-106 in a game where Richaun Holmes scored 24 points.

Wednesday night recap: The Kings were set to take on the Utah Jazz on Wednesday at 7 PM PST in Sacramento.

In the first half, it was embarrassing for the Kings. The Kings didn’t seem to show any effort on the defensive end as the Jazz were getting pretty much all the shots they wanted. In the first quarter, the Kings were able to keep up with the Jazz but were still outscored in the quarter 30-27.

However, it was the second quarter that set the Kings in a tailspin. The Kings looked like a G League team against an NBA All-Star team in the second quarter. The Jazz outscored the Kings 46-17 in the second quarter to take a 76-44 lead into the second half. The Kings would need to right the ship against the best team in the NBA to make the game at the very least more respectable.

In the second half, the game was very ho-hum. In the third quarter, The Kings were in pure damage control mode. It was a triage situation unfolding in Sacramento. The third quarter saw the Kings with another massive deficit. The Jazz outscored the Kings 40-30 in the third quarter to run the lead up to 116-74 heading into the final quarter.

You can probably assume the ending. Yes, the Kings were again outscored in the fourth quarter 38-31 to take the loss by a final of 154-105. It was an embarrassing tale of two teams. The Jazz were the up-and-coming playoff-bound team looking to make noise in the playoffs, and the Kings the team with a lot of reflection to do. The Kings were led by Richaun Holmes who had 18 points in the loss. Utah was led by Bojan Bogdanovic who scored 24 points in the victory. The Kings will face a tough opponent in their next matchup looking to get back into the winner’s circle.

Up Next: The Kings will take on the Los Angeles Lakers on Friday at 7 PM PST inside the Staples Center.

Golden State Warriors podcast with David Zizmor: Warriors still trying to make climb for last and final playoff spot

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The look on the Golden State Warriors bench tells it all as the Dallas Mavericks dominated throughout the contest at the Chase Center in San Francisco on Tue Apr 27, 2021 (AP News photo)

On the Warriors podcast with David:

#1 The Dallas Mavericks (34-27) left very little doubt about the how the direction of their game at Golden State (31-31) was going end up the Mavericks led from start to finish 133-103.

#2 The Mavericks Luka Doncic was unstoppable scoring 39 points the Warriors defense simply couldn’t put the stop on him.

#3 The Warriors are heading to Minnesota to tip off with the Timberwolves on Thu Apr 29 at the Target Center the last time the Warriors met the Timberwolves they swept them in a two game series back on Jan 25 and 27. How do you see this match up Thursday night?

Join David for the Warriors podcasts each Wednesday mornings at http://www.sportsradioservice.com