Category: NBA

Warriors upset Suns to snap eight-game losing streak 115-99

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photo from sfgate.com: Golden State Warriors guard Damion Lee (1) drives past Phoenix Suns center Deandre Ayton (22) during the first half of an NBA basketball game Saturday, Feb. 29, 2020, in Phoenix.

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Golden State Warriors, down to eight healthy players, found a way to beat the Phoenix Suns Saturday night 115-99. Draymond Green was out with left knee soreness, Jordan Poole and Ky Bowman were out with ankle injuries.

Warriors’ head coach Steve Kerr had to figure out another starting lineup. He inserted Dragan Bender and Juan Toscano-Anderson at forward and guard. Andrew Wiggins returned to action after suffering back spasms last Thursday. Eric Paschall, Kevon Looney, and Mychal Mulder were the only players to come off the bench.

The Suns easily won the first quarter 41-28. They took an early lead, and the Warriors played catchup for the first 12 minutes of play.  The Warriors offense picked up in the second quarter. The Warriors outscored the Suns 33-24 to finish the first half trailing 65-61.

The Warriors trailed for most of the third period. They were able to tie the game at 72. The Suns could not get their offense going at all in the period. The Warriors went on 16-0 run to finish the period leading 92-81. The Warriors won the third quarter 31-16.

The Warriors continued to hold the Suns’ offense in check as they held them to just 18 points. The Warriors did not fold down the stretch and finished with the win 115-99.

Game Notes and Stats- The Warriors had two former first-round picks of the Suns in their starting lineup Saturday. Marquese Chriss, number eight, and Dragan Bender, number four, in the 2016 draft had to enjoy beating the team that let them go.

Chriss finished the night with 11 points, nine rebounds, and three assists. Bender had 13 points and eight boards. Rookie Eric Paschall, thriving coming off the bench, led the team with 25 points, three boards, and four assists. Damion Lee had 20, and Kevon Looney added ten.

Mychal Mulder, on a ten-day contract and playing in his second NBA game, had 14 points and six rebounds. Andrew Wiggins finished with 17 points, seven rebounds, and five assists.

Steve Kerr had this to say about his team’s performance: “The joy in that locker room right now, the relief, everybody’s smiling and happy and excited “Our team’s played hard all year and competed, but at times has been out-manned. So every win becomes sweeter.”

The Suns, trying for the eighth spot in the Western Conference, had to wonder how they could have lost at home to the lowly Detroit Pistons and the Golden State Warriors.

They did lose Kelly Oubre Jr. to a torn meniscus. However, injuries are part of the game, and the Suns need someone to step up and fill the void. That did not happen in the last two games. Devin Booker led the Suns with 21, Deandre Ayton 20, Mikal Bridges 15, Elie Okobo 14, and Dario Saric 11.

The Warriors shot 47% from the floor. Phoenix shot 41%. The Warriors out rebounded the Suns 49-40. The Warriors recorded 30 assists. For a team with so many new players, the stat had to please the coaches. The Warriors defense forced the Suns to commit 19 turnovers. The Warriors turned the ball over just ten times.

The Warriors announced that their team leader, Steph Curry, will not play Sunday against the Washington Wizards. Curry will play on Sunday in Santa Cruz for the G-League Warriors. Steve Kerr wants him to get some additional conditioning before returning to the NBA grind.

The Warriors meet the Washington Wizards at the Chase Center Sunday night at 5:30 pm.

Kings win 104-101 in Memphis to stay alive in the playoff race

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SacMem
Kings win in Memphis @NBC CA

by Charlie O. Mallonee @Espn1320

The Sacramento Kings were written off for dead just weeks ago. Marvin Bagley III has been sidelined with a midfoot sprain, and there is no timetable for his return. Richaun Holmes – who had been playing at a high level filling in for Bagley – has been out due to a shoulder injury, and there is no estimate for his return to the lineup.

Luke Walton felt he had to shake up his starting lineup in order to generate more offense. Buddy Hield was sent to the bench to become the sixth man and Bogdan Bogdanovic became a starter. To everyone’s amazement, that move worked and has paid big dividends.

The Kings also unloaded two expensive players that were not producing the way they had hoped. Trevor Ariza plus two other players were sent to Portland in exchange for Kent Bazemore and Anthony Tolliver. Bazemore had played for Luke Walton in Los Angeles and the coach had high hopes for him. Bazemore has been a productive addition coming off the bench for Sacramento.

Dewayne Dedmon – who had requested a trade – was shipped out to Atlanta for Jabri Parker and Alex Len. Parker is still working his way back from injury, but Len is starting to have an impact in the middle for SAC.

Just when it looked like the Kings had gone into a “wait until next year mode” – the team has surprised everyone by becoming a contender for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference.

A Big Win on Friday night

Nine days ago, the Kings beat the Memphis Grizzlies 129-125 in Sacramento. That win made everyone who covers the Kings feel like there was a glimmer of hope for Sacramento in the playoff picture. Everyone was afraid to say anything because the Kings have let the fans down so many times in the past.

Sacramento began a four-game road trip after that victory over the Grizzlies. The Kings won games in LA against the Clippers. They beat the Warriors in San Francisco. SAC came close to beating OKC on their homecourt.

The game on Friday night was the back end of a back-to-back set on the road – the toughest game for a road team to win. Memphis is desperately trying to hold on to the eighth and final playoff slot in the West. The odds were definitely against the Kings.

Game flow

The Grizzlies came out of the chute strong, and it looked like the Kings were in real trouble as they trailed 30-21 at the end of the first quarter.

Sacramento was able to shake off the cobwebs in the second period and began to dominate the game. They outscored Memphis 29-17 in the second. As the teams went to the locker rooms at halftime, the Kings held a 50-47 lead over the Grizzlies.

The Kings played well in the third quarter outscoring the Grizzlies 31-28 to take an 81-75 lead into the final 12 minutes.

Luke Walton always talks about how NBA games get close in the final six minutes of the game. Friday night was no different. The Grizzlies cut the Kings lead to just one point with 10.9 seconds to go in the game. Buddy Hield hit two key free throws to give Sacramento a three-point lead and the 104-101 win.

The Playoff Race get tighter

The Grizzlies have now lost five consecutive games and now have four teams breathing down their necks for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference.

The Kings record is now 25-34, and they are just three games out of the eighth and final playoff slot.

Kings top performers

De’Aaron Fox – who sat out the game in OKC with an abdominal strain – led the Kings scoring attack with 25 points and he added five assists.

Nemanja Bjelica was Sacramento’s top rebounder with 11 and made it a double-double game by scoring 13 points.

Harry Giles III had a huge game putting up 16 points and grabbing five rebounds.

Up next

The Kings return home to host the Detroit Pistons on Sunday at 3 PM.

 

Lakers, without LeBron trounce Warriors 116-86

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By Jerry Feitelberg

San Francisco- The visiting Los Angeles Lakers, without the services of LeBron James, overwhelmed the Warriors in the second half of the game to win going away 116-86. The Warriors’ Andrew Wiggins did not play due to a back issue. However, the W’s welcomed back Draymond Green back to the starting lineup.

The Warriors gave the Lakers a tussle in the first half. The Lakers, owners of the best record in the Western Conference, did not push the young Warriors aside in the first half. The W’s behind the play of Damion Lee, Jordan Poole, and Eric Paschall finished the first period tied at 24. The W’s held their own in the second quarter. The Lakers led 37-29 when the W’s closed to within two 39-37. With the score 42-37, the refs called a foul on Draymond Green. Draymond screamed at the refs and let loose with an expletive. Draymond was hit with his 13th technical foul of the year. On the next play, Green appeared to be fouled by Dwight Howard and was angered that there was no call. He unleashed his anger at the refs again..Since it was his second of the night, he was ejected. Also, it was his 14h of the campaign and two more will cost him a one-game suspension. The Lakers could not shake the determined Warriors. Rookie Eric Paschall played well and made three straight buckets. The Lakers’ Anthony Davis hit a three to put them up 54-50. Paschall made another bucket to finish the first half with the Warriors trailing 54-52.

The Lakers blew it open in the third quarter. They overwhelmed the W’s 40-17. They had two much size, and their defense stopped the Warriors cold. The Lakers forced turnovers and their offense started clicking. The Lakers won the fourth quarter 22-17 to win the game 116-86.

Game Notes and Stats- With the loss, the W’s drop to 12-47. They have lost eight in a row. The Lakers improved to 45-12 and have now won seven in a row.

The Warriors offense went south in the second half. They made a total of 13 field goals. Five were three-pointer, and 8 were two-pointers. The Lakers’ defense forced 16 turnovers in the second half. The Warriors committed a total of 26 in the game. Teams usually lose when they turn the ball over that many times. Thursday night was no exception.

Eric Paschall led the team with 23 points. Jordan Poole had 16 points and 8 rebounds. Damion Lee had 15, and Ky Bowman finished with 11.

The Lakers Anthony Davis had 23, Kyle Kuzma 18, JaVale McGee 12, Avery Bradley 12, and Rajon rondo 12.

The Warriors signed Mychal Mulder to a 10-day contract. The W’s will re-evaluate Steph Curry on Saturday. Steph is hoping to play on Sunday, but head coach Steve Kerr is not sure that Steph will be ready

The Warriors play the Sun in Phoenix on Saturday. The game time will be at 6:00 pm. They then travel across the county to face the Washington Wizards on Sunday. That game will start at 5:30 pm.

31 point rallies in third and fourth quarters by Thunder set back Kings 112-108

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photo from newsday.com: Oklahoma City Thunder center Steven Adams (12) shoots between Sacramento Kings’ Harrison Barnes (40), Kent Bazemore (26), Buddy Hield (24) and Yogi Ferrell (3) during the first half of an NBA basketball game Thursday, Feb. 27, 2020, in Oklahoma City

By Jeremiah Salmonson

The Sacramento Kings were going into Oklahoma City feeling good. They were on a three-game winning streak and poised to compete against a surprisingly upstart Oklahoma City Thunder team. However, the Kings would be without starting guard De’Aaron Fox. Fox has been dealing with a myriad of nagging injuries and the abdominal discomfort held him out of action on Thursday night. The tip-off was set for 5 PM PST in Oklahoma City.

The first half went just the way the Kings wanted it. The Kings shot 47.8% from the field and a great 41.2% from deep. The Kings scored 27 in the first and 34 in the second compared to 25 and 25 respectively from the Thunder. The Kings would lead by 11 at 61-50 going into the half.

The Thunder scored 45.7% from the field in the first half shooting 35.3% from deep. The Kings received stellar play in the first half from Harry Giles as he scored 15 points in 12 minutes. The only issue is that Harry picked up three fouls in the half. Danillo Gallinari scored 12 points to lead the Thunder in the first half.

In the second half, things began to crumble. The King’s shot-making evaporated late in the third and the Thunder went on a long 13-0 run. The Kings kept the Thunder from taking a dominant lead but the 11 point lead they took into the second half was gone.

One of the worst aspects of this was what happened next. The Kings got themselves into the penalty in just over two minutes and that would prove to be the difference in the game. The Thunder scored 31 points in both the third and fourth quarters to down the Kings 112-108. The Kings scored 21 and 26 in the third and fourth quarters respectively which was not enough to overtake the resurgence of the Thunder.

Leading the way for the Thunder in victory was Danillo Gallinari who had 24 points followed by Shae Gilgeous-Alexander who had 20 points. For the Kings, Harrison Barnes led the way with 21 points followed by an outstanding performance by Harry Giles who finished with 19 points.

Up Next: The Kings fly to Memphis to take on the formidable but struggling Memphis Grizzlies tomorrow. Tip-off is set for 5 PM PST in Memphis.

Headline Sports podcast with Tony Renteria: Will Bumgarner continue to ride horses in the rodeo?; Kings roll to their third straight win; plus more

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Arizona Diamondback pitcher Madison Bumgarner tunes up during spring training as he gets set to face his former team the San Francisco Giants in Scottsdale AZ on Monday (photo from sfgate.com)

On Headline Sports podcast with Tony:

#1 How sensible is it for Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Madison Bumgarner to ride horses and bulls in the rodeo and the team allows him to do that he’s a huge investment to a team?

#2 The Sacramento Kings picked up their third straight win over the Golden State Warriors on Tuesday night at Chase Center in San Francisco 112-94

#3 The Warriors most recently host the New Orleans Pelicans where all the rage was Zion Williamson, Williamson in his first two games in the NBA scored 30 points

#4 It was reported by the Sacramento Bee that Northern California got it’s first case of Coronavirus the CDC told the Bee. With baseball season on the horizon and the City of San Francisco declaring a state of emergency ahead of the coming pandemic how do you see this effecting baseball?

#5 Everybody is wearing masks now with the oncoming pandemic and South Korea is no exception suffering from Coronavirus that they have postponed Table Tennis Federation matches for now and rescheduled the event for March 22.

Headline Sports with Tony Renteria can be heard each Thursday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

 

Warriors offense falters fall to Kings 112-94

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from sfgate.com: Sacramento Kings’ Harrison Barnes (40) shoots over Golden State Warriors’ Kevon Looney, left, during the first half of an NBA basketball game Tuesday, Feb. 25, 2020, in San Francisco.

By Jerry Feitelberg

San Francisco- It was another tough night for the Warriors on Monday as they couldn’t make three-point shots. The Sacramento Kings could, and they won 112-94.

The Kings scored the first basket of the game and never relinquished the lead. The Warriors were trailing 9-8 when the Kings went on a 12-2 run to lead 21-10. The Warriors turned the ball over six times in the first period. As a result of the turnovers, the Kings put 10 points on the board. Sacramento led by eleven 33-22 to end the first quarter. The Warriors’ offense went to sleep to start the second period.

They scored a total of two points in the first five minutes of play.  Sacramento wasn’t much better. They scored seven. The rest of the period was fairly even. The first half ended with Sacramento leading 55-43. Andrew Wiggins led the Warriors with 14. Marquese Chriss had 13 points and five boards. Former Warrior Harrison Barnes paced the Kings with 16. Bogdan Bogdanovich had 11. As mentioned earlier, the W’s could not make a three. They were one-for- seventeen from behind the 3-point arc. Sacramento made six threes.

The Warriors offense woke up in the third quarter. The Warriors went on a 15-2 run to close within four 67-63. That was the last closest they would get. Sacramento regrouped and finished the third period leading 81-73. The Kings’ three-point sharpshooter, Buddy Hield, hit three threes in a row to start the quarter. The Kings now led by 17. The Warriors’ Damion Lee finally knocked down some threes. He connected three times in the second half to keep the W’s within range. However, they could not catch the Kings.  Sacramento beat the Warriors for the third time this year, 112-94.

Game Notes and Stats- The big news of the night was that Steph Curry will return to action Sunday night when the Warriors travel to Phoenix to play the Suns.

Sacramento won for the ninth time in the last 13 games to improve to 24-33. The Kings have improved and are within 4 games of the Memphis Grizzlies for the eighth seed in the Western Conference. The Warriors dropped to 12-46. They own the worst record in the NBA.

The Warriors head coach, without defensive stalwart Draymond Green, had another makeshift lineup. Many of his players had not spent a lot of time with each other on the court. They played hard, but the play was ragged. There were some bright spots. Marquese Chriss finished with a double-double.

He finished with 22 points and 10 rebounds. Chriss left the game in the fourth quarter. He missed the last game with a strained calf, and he appeared to be hobbled by it Monday night. Andrew Wiggins had 16, Damion Lee had 16 and was 3-for-7 from three-point range. Jordan Poole had 13, Eric Paschall 12, and Ky Bowman 10. The W’s shot 44% from the floor. The W’s made 4 threes in 28 tries. Lee had three of the four. The Warriors bench tallied 18 points. Ky Bowman had 10 of the 18.

Sacramento won the game from the three-point line. They made 13 threes in 30 tries. The eight-shot difference accounted for 24 points, which were more than enough to secure the win for Sacramento. De’Aaron Fox led the Kings with 21. Barnes had 19, Bogdanovic 17, Hield 19, Harry Giles 13, Corey Joseph 11, and Kent Bazemore, another former Warrior, nine.

The Warriors host the Los Angeles Lakers Thursday night at the Chase Center. The game will start at 7:30 pm.

 

Kings Barnes leads with 21 points in 112-94 win over Golden State

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from sfgate.com: Sacramento Kings’ De’Aaron Fox, right, drives the ball past Golden State Warriors’ Ky Bowman (12) in the first half of an NBA basketball game Tuesday, Feb. 25, 2020, in San Francisco.

By Jeremiah Salmonson

The Sacramento Kings hadn’t lost since the All-Star break. Beating the Grizzlies and Clippers since the break, the Kings looked to continue that trend on Tuesday evening against the Golden State Warriors. The Kings were looking to make it three in a row after the break. The tip-off was set for 7:30 PM PST in San Francisco.

In the first half, the game panned out just like we were thinking it would. The Kings to an early 6-1 lead and didn’t look back. As the Warriors struggled from deep (1-17) the Kings managed a 50% field goal clip to take a 55-43 lead into the break.

The Kings solid offensive output was accompanied by only five turnovers for two Warrior points. On the defensive end, the Kings also put together a solid half that they could build off going forward. Leading the way for the Kings in the first half was the resurgent Harrison Barnes who put up 16 points. For the Warriors, Andrew Wiggins scored 14 points. The Kings looked to continue the strong performance in the second half.

In the second half, things got dicey in the third. The Warriors managed to come back to within just two possessions as the Kings were unable to hit shots. The Kings went from an 18 point lead early in the third to an eight-point lead when the third quarter was over. The Kings needed to regain their composure and finish off what had been a strong performance. The score was 81-73 Kings on top headed to the final session.

The Kings managed to get the game back under control in the fourth quarter. The Kings stopped the bleeding and managed to start hitting their shots again. The Kings would hold off the Warriors and win by a final of 112-94.

Leading the way for the victorious Kings was Harrison Barnes who scored 21 points along with Buddy Hield. The Kings also received a great performance from De’Aaron Fox who finished the night with 19 points. Leading the way for the Warriors in defeat was Marquese Chriss who scored 21 points. He was followed by Andrew Wiggins with 16 points.

Up Next: The Kings travel to Oklahoma City to take on the Thunder on Thursday at 5 PM PST.

Headline Sports with Barbara Mason: Kings go for three in a row tonight in San Francisco; A’s pitcher Fiers under threats gets through first game; plus more

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photo from sfgate.com: Oakland Athletics’ Mike Fiers smiles in the dugout during the second inning of a spring training baseball game against the San Francisco Giants, Sunday, Feb. 23, 2020, in Mesa, Ariz.

On Headline Sports with Barbara:

#1 The New Orleans Pelicans got a 14 point victory over the Golden State Warriors on Sunday night 115-111.

#2 The main attraction of the Pelicans came calling in Zion Williamson who is in his first two games with the Pelicans scored 30 points

#3 As pitcher Mike Fiers was served notice by several MLB players and fans threats of physical harm for outing the Houston Astros in the off season regarding the sign stealing scandal. Fiers was unscathed from those threats and pitched unscathed too throwing two innings of shutout ball on Sunday.

#4 The Sacramento Kings look like a club on the mend they’ve won two games in a row and had six players finish in double figures on Sunday against the Clippers

#5 The Kings are in San Francisco tonight against the Warriors talk about how you see this match up.

Join Barbara Mason for Headline Sports each Tuesday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Sacramento Kings podcast with Charlie O: Kings trying for three straight in San Francisco tonight

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photo from sacbee.com: Sacramento Kings’ Harry Giles III, center, dunks against the Los Angeles Clippers during the first half of an NBA basketball game Saturday, Feb. 22, 2020, in Los Angeles

On the Kings podcast with Charlie O:

#1 For the Kings (22-33) it’s two in a row after victories over the Grizzlies (28-27) and the Clippers (37-39), Kings head coach Luke Walton says defense gets it everytime

#2 In the game against the Clippers the Kings won it by nine 112-103 and on offense the Kings had six players with double figures

#3 Leading the way in scoring for the Kings was Kent Bazemore with 23 he’s certainly stepped it up to lead the club in scoring on Sunday

#4 The Clippers are a noted club that can out pace a lot of NBA teams talk about the Kings mindset going into that match was it mind over matter or just old fashion good ball distribution.

#5 The Kings head to Golden State for a Tuesday match up with the Warriors Charlie talks about this contest.

Charlie O does the Kings podcasts each Tuesday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

 

Golden State Warriors podcast with David Zizmor: Warriors hope to get it turned around as they face Sacramento tonight

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photo from sfgate.com: Golden State Warriors’ Jordan Poole is stripped by New Orleans Pelicans’ Lonzo Ball as True Holiday watches in 1st quarter as during NBA game at Chase Center in San Francisco, Calif., on Sunday, February 23, 2020.

On the Warriors podcast with David:

#1 The New Orleans Pelicans Zion Williamson was all the rage at Chase Center on Sunday night in the Pelicans defeat of the Golden State Warriors 115-101. Williamson scored 28 points in the New Orleans win tell us what impact he’s been.

#2 The Warriors will take another try at it again as the Sacramento Kings come calling at Chase Center in San Francisco on Tuesday night

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