Category: NBA

Nets pummel Warriors 129-88; Burks and Robinson traded to 76ers

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image from nbabite.com

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Golden State Warriors finished their five-game 10-day road trip with a visit to the Brooklyn Nets at the Barclay Center in Brooklyn. The Warriors had won their last two games against Cleveland and Washington and a win over Brooklyn would allow them to return home with a 3-2 record. The Nets, playoff contenders, are the seventh seed in the Eastern Conference with a record of 22-27.

The Nets’ star Kyrie Irving was not available to play Wednesday night. The Warriors dressed nine players as they kept Alec Burks and Glenn Robinson out of the lineup. Rumors have been swirling that the Warriors are looking to trade D’Angelo Russell, Alec Burks, and Robinson.

All three players have been able to put points on the board. The Warriors are up against a hard salary cap that prevents them from going after players that command a higher paycheck. The trade deadline is at 12 noon Pacific Time on Thursday.

As for the game, the Warriors, probably out of gas at the end of a long road trip, could not make baskets. The Warriors couldn’t handle the Nets onslaught. The Nets led 40-25

The Warriors lost the second period by six points. The Nets outscored the W’s 28-22, and the Warriors were just about finished. The score at the end of the first half was 68-47 in favor of Brooklyn. The Warriors were 2 for 22 from behind the three-point arc.

D’Angelo Russell paced the team with 15. Eric Paschall was second with nine. The W’s shot 34% from the floor. The Nets, on the other hand, were 49%from the floor and they made nine threes.

The Nets poured it on in the third quarter. The Warriors managed to score just 17 points while Brooklyn tallied 27. The Nets had the game in pocket leading 95-64 after the first 36 minutes of play.

Brooklyn used most of the reserves for the fourth quarter. It didn’t matter. The Warriors did not have the firepower to catch the Nets. The Warriors lost the game by a staggering 41 points 129-88.

Game Notes and Stats- With the loss, the W’s drop to 12-40. The Nets improved to 23-27.

The leading scorers for Golden State were D’Angelo Russell with 17. He knocked down just 2 points in the second half. Russell attempted 8 threes and did not make a single one. Eric Paschall had 15 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists, and he made two threes in five tries.

Jordan Poole had 16, Kevon Looney 11 in just 17 minutes of playing time. Marquese Chriss added 8. The Warriors shot 36.5% from the floor. They made 5 threes in 39 tries. The Nets controlled the boards on both ends of the court as they outrebounded the W’s 65-34.

After the game, many of the Warriors were seen giving hugs to their former teammate Kevin Durant. KD and Steph Curry gave each other a big hug and were all smiles after the game.

Another former Warrior was in the news Wednesday night. Andre Iguodala, whom the W’s traded to Memphis, was traded to the Miami Heat. Iguodala refused to join the Grizzlies as they are a young team, and he wanted to go to a contender. The Heat filled the bill, and Iguodala signed a two-year extension for $30 million.

The W’s return home to face the Los Angeles Lakers Saturday evening at the Chase Center. The Warriors are planning a ceremony to honor the life of Kobe Bryant and the eight other people that died in the helicopter crash last month. The game will start at 5:30 pm.

 

Robinson and Burks pulled from game sets a sad tone in Warriors 129-88 loss

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photo from sfgate.com: The Golden State Warriors Damion Lee (1) tries to put the brakes on the Brooklyn Nets Caris Lavert (22) at Barclay Center in Brooklyn on Wednesday night

By Jessica Kwong

BROOKLYN–The Golden State Warriors were dismayed to find out just before facing the Brooklyn Nets that veterans Glen Robinson III and Alec Burks would likely be traded, and that news set the tone for their 129-88 loss at Barclays Center on Wednesday night.

“It was a tough night to go out and play,” Warriors head coach Steve Kerr said. “Two of our leaders, elder statesmen, guys who are really beloved in the locker room–for the guys to find out that those two guys are most likely going to be traded was pretty tough.”

D’Angelo Russell, who received a warm welcome back from fans of his former team, scored the first points for Golden State with a floating shot. But the Nets went on a 13-0 run and took a 15-2 lead just four minutes into the first quarter, forcing Kerr to call a timeout.

“There’s not a really good way to prepare for a game when something like that happens, and I think it showed,” Kerr said, referring to Robinson and Burks.

The timeout did not help the Warriors, who were without stars Stephen Curry (left hand fracture) and Klay Thompson (left ACL rehabilitation). At the half, the Nets lead 68-47. Golden State never lead, but trailed by as many as 44 points, at the end of the game.

Two Golden State rookies admitted that Robinson and Burks sitting out impacted their game, but that it was not an excuse for the blowout.

“Today was a rough one just because everyone was mentally out of it, but it’s our job,” Warriors forward Eric Parschall said. “We know it’s a business.”

Warriors guard Jordan Poole said the team “didn’t come out how we wanted to.”

“The Nets are a really good team, but I don’t think I could blame anything for the performance,” Poole said. “Obviously, it was tough news that nobody wanted to hear, but you still have to go out there and you still have to play.”

Golden State was 5 for 39 (13%) from the three-point line, and their record has worsened to 12-40. Meanwhile, the Nets’ 41-point win was their biggest margin of victory since defeating the Denver Nuggets by 44 points in 2009.

For many Warriors fans, the highlight was probably after the game, when Curry hugged former teammate Kevin Durant, who also sat out for rehabilitation of his right Achilles.

While the Warriors can look forward to heading back to the Bay after their five-game road trip, it isn’t going to get any easier for them at home. They are facing LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers on Saturday. Tipoff is at 5:30 p.m.

Sacramento Kings podcast with Charlie O: Kings hold their own with 113-109 win over Minnesota

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photo from sacbee.com: Sacramento Kings guard Bogdan Bogdanovic (8) yells at official during game at Golden 1 Center on Thursday, Jan 2, 2020 in Sacramento.

On the Kings podcast with Charlie O:

#1 The Sacramento Kings (18-31) held their own on their home floor against the Minnesota Timberwolves (15-34) in a 113-109 victory at Golden One Center.

#2 The Kings won four of their last six games still a lot of work ahead of them

#3 Altough the Timberwolves outscored the Kings 34-28 in the fourth quarter the Kings won the game

#4 De’Aaron Fox for the Kings continues to drain the basket with 31 points to lead the Kings on Monday night

#5 The Kings host the Miami Heat (33-15) on Friday night Kings have lost four of their last six games can they beat the Heat on their home floor.

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

 

 

Golden State Warriors podcast with David Zizmor: Warriors win two in a row Curry coming back soon

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mercurynews.com photo: The Golden State Warriors Marquese Chriss forward (32) throws down past the Washington Wizards Rui Hachimura (8) in Washington on Monday night

On the Warriors podcast with David:

#1 The Warriors after losing five straight games have put together wins against the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Washington Wizards what’s been the difference for Golden State in these last two games.

#2 The Warriors say that Stephen Curry could be back before Valentine’s Day how much of an addition will that be for the Warriors to have him back.

David Zizmor does the Warriors podcasts each Tuesday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

 

Kings outwork the Wolves, then survive the fourth quarter in 113-109 win

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SACRAMENTO–The NBA trade deadline can hatch some absurd scenarios and head-scratching juxtapositions, a couple of which found their way into Golden 1 Center on Monday night.

The lottery-bound Kings and Timberwolves are unlikely to stand still come Thursday afternoon, but you have to wonder what it is either club will come up with to swing a deal, let alone significantly affect their futures.

As an aside, the Kings enjoyed a rare winner on the hardwood, lapping Minnesota early only to hold on late in a 113-109 win, sending the visitors to a telling, 12th consecutive loss. Minnesota’s centerpiece big man, Karl Anthony-Towns picked this depth of losing before the game to express his displeasure with All-Star voters who bypassed Towns in the game’s final vote tallies, prompting him to say, “It’s unfortunate this year’s All-Star Game won’t have the 24 best players in the NBA.”

“It’s about being in the NBA finals, being in the playoffs, winning games,” Towns said in trying to rationalize his thought process at this particular moment. “That’s how you build a legacy. All-Star is cool and stuff for the fans, but I’m here for the people in this locker room.”

Towns who has drawn interest from the Warriors and Celtics as a finishing piece to their title aspirations might not be sending championship signals with his play. Minnesota is 0-16 in the last 16 games Towns has been available, and the team’s defensive rating plummets with the big man on the floor.

Regardless, the Wolves would prefer to hold on to their biggest asset which is how forward Robert Covington’s name is heard most frequently in trade talks. But reportedly, the Wolves are demanding two first rounders in exchange for their 6’8″ defensive whiz.

And how’s that discourse going? Well, on Monday, Covington looked distracted, missing seven of his first eight shots, including three air balls as Minnesota fell behind by 18 points before the half.

For the Kings, Dewayne Dedmon returned from two days away from the team with an illness to turn in his most inspired performance as King: 12 rebounds, five blocks (including a big one on Andrew Wiggins with 20 seconds remaining and the Kings nursing a five-point lead) four assists, four points. Dedmon’s previous trade demands have relented, and now with Marvin Bagley Jr. and Richaun Holmes still unavailable, the journeyman center seems to have a place in the Sacramento rotation.

“He did a lot for us today, altering shots, saving possessions,” said De’Aaron Fox of Dedmon.

Fox led the Kings with 31 points, 5 assists. The Kings shot 51 percent from the floor for the game, including 14 of 27 from three. Towns led Minnesota with 22 points.

“We just got to keep pounding the rock,” said coach Ryan Saunders, who hasn’t endured any speculation about his job status despite 26 losses in the Wolves’ last 31 games. “Eventually it breaks. You just keep pounding the rock and that’s not an empty line because if you just keep staying with it, keep being diligent in your preparation and do things the right way, eventually good things will come.”

Bogdan Bogdanovich contributed a super efficient game for the Kings with 23 points on just seven shot attempts along with three assists and just one turnover in 31 minutes. Could he be the missing piece in Laker land? Maybe, but why would the Kings deal one of their prized assets at the moment he’s establishing himself as a starting NBA combo guard, or be so helpful to the rival Lakers even if a trade yields Kyle Kuzma?

The Kings have won four of six, after a six-game losing skid, and have three days of preparation–and two days of trade deadline anticipation–before hosting the Miami Heat on Friday.

 

 

Warriors win second in a row beat Wizards 125-117

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photo from sfgate.com: Washington Wizards forward Rui Hachimura (8), of Japan, goes for the ball during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Golden State Warriors, Monday, Feb. 3, 2020, in Washington

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Warriors met the host Washington Wizards Monday night in the Nation’s Capitol. The Warriors were without the services of D’Angelo Russell, who was sidelined with a bruised right quadriceps.

Without the team’s leading scorer, the Warriors had to come up with a way to beat the high-scoring Wizards. The Wizard’s leading scorer, Bradley Beal, has scored 30 or more points in his last six games. Warriors’ head coach Steve Kerr inserted backup guard Jacob Evans into the starting lineup to go along with the other guard Damion Lee. Without Russell, the Warriors were counting on Draymond Green to be the playmaker.

The Warriors started the game with guns blazing. They scored forty points in the first quarter and led the Wizards 40-36 after the first 12 minutes of play. Alec Burks, coming off the bench, paced the Warriors with 13 points. The Warriors made seven threes in nine tries.

The Warriors continued to play well. They increased the lead to nine 49-40. The Wizards offense woke up, and they tied the game at 54. The game was tied at 61 when Damion Lee connected on a three. The Wizards responded with a two-point bucket to make it 64-63. The Warriors finished the first half with an 8-0 run to lead 72-63.

The Warriors scored the first seven points of the third period to lead 79-63. They increased the advantage to 90-71 to lead by nineteen. The Wizards fought back and cut the deficit by six to finish the period trailing 99-86.

As mentioned earlier, the Wizards have a high-powered offense. Thirteen-point deficits have been overcome many times in the final period of play. The Warriors knew that they had to keep putting points on the board and stop Bradley Beal.

Beal, in his eighth season in the league, started making shots, and the Wizards made a run to make it a five point game 113-108 with 4:23 to play. Alec Burks and Glenn Robinson came through with buckets to preserve the Warrior win. Beal scored 15 points in the period, but the Warriors kept the other Wizard players from scoring to win 125-117.

Game Notes and Stats- The Warriors won their second in a row on the road. They had lost 15 of 17 before the last two games. It was their sixth straight win over the Wizards.

The Warriors improved to 12-39. The Wizards fell to 17-32.

The Warriors had six players in double figures.

Alec Burks had a career-high 30 points.

Burks made five threes in ten attempts. Glenn Robinson was second in scoring with 22. Damion Lee finished with 19, and he, too, connected on five threes. Eric Paschall had a double-double with 14 points and 10 boards. Draymond Green also had a double-double with 12 points, seven rebounds, and seven assists, Marquese Chriss added 13.

Bradley Beals paced the Wizards with 43 points. Davis Bertrans tallied 19, and the big man from Latvia made five threes.

The Warriors shot 49.4% from the floor and 50% from beyond the three point arc. They Outrebounded the Wizards, and they recorded 31 assists.

The Warriors finish the five-game road trip Wednesday night when they meet the Brooklyn Nets. It will be a homecoming of sorts for D’Angelo Russell. Russell came to the Warriors in the sign and trade deal that sent Kevin Durant to Brooklyn.

The game will start at 4 pm.

Kings bow to King James and the Lakers 129-113; L.A.’s Davis finishes on top with 21

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The Los Angeles Lakers LeBron James (23) drives on the Sacramento Kings Harold Barnes (40) at Golden One Center in Sacramento Saturday night photo from bleacherreport.com

By Jeremiah Salmonson

SACRAMENTO–The Kings were coming off a great win against the other LA team the Los Angeles Clippers. The Kings played a great game and managed to record 21 three point makes. That was a franchise record. So, the Kings were looking to continue the trend against one of the best teams in basketball the Los Angeles Lakers.

In the first half, the Lakers looked like a team on a mission. The Lakers scored an incredible 29 field goals on 26 assists for a total of 81 points in the first half. It was a display you rarely see in basketball, and unfortunately it was against the Kings.

The Lakers hit 14 three pointers in the first half that put the Kings in a tough spot in the second half. The Kings did manage to score 64 points on 44% percent shooting. Ultimately, the Lakers just played a dominant form of basketball that the Kings and their defense couldn’t keep up with in the first half. Leading the way for the Lakers was surprisingly Avery Bradley with 16 points.

Right behind him was Anthony Davis and LeBron James with 13 and 13 respectively. For the Kings, Harry Giles led the way with 12 points followed by Buddy Hied with 11 in the first half.

In the second half, it was more of the same. The Kings managed to do a better job holding the Lakers down in the second half but it was ultimately to no avail. The Lakers 81 point first proved too much for the Kings to handle as the fell 129-113.

The Lakers played one of the best games of the year as the offensive output put the game out of reach from the first quarter on. Anthony Davis led the way for the Lakers with 21 points followed but the surprise performance of Avery Bradley who had 19. De’Aaron Fox led the game in scoring with 24 points as LeBron James led the game in assists and rebounds with 11 and 10 respectively.

Up Next: The Kings stay home to face the Minnesota Timberwolves on Monday night.

 

Warriors beat Cavaliers 131-112 snap five-game losing streak

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sfgate.com photo: Larry Nance Jr (22) of the Cleveland Cavaliers drives on the Golden State Warriors Eric Paschall (7) at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland on Saturday night

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Golden State Warriors beat the Cavaliers in Cleveland Saturday night 131-112 to snap a five-game losing streak. The Warriors entered the contest with the worst record in the NBA 10-39. The Cavaliers owned the second-worst record in the Eastern Conference 13-36.

The Cavs and Warriors met each other in the NBA Finals for four consecutive seasons. The Warriors won three times. The Cavs lost Lebron James to the Los Angeles Lakers after the lost the Finals to the Warriors in 2018. The Cavs floundered last season and are rebuilding the club.

The Warriors made the Finals last year but fell to the Toronto Raptors. Injuries to Kevin Durant and Klay Thompson prevented the Warriors from winning a third consecutive NBA Championship. Durant went to the Brooklyn Nets in a sign and trade deal. He has not recovered from his torn Achilles tendon.

Klay Thompson is also out for the year. At the beginning of the season, the Warriors thought they had a chance to make the playoffs. They had Steph Curry, Draymond Green, and D’Angelo Russell. All three are All-Stars. Things quickly went south when Curry broke his hand in the fourth game of the year. He has not returned to action. He was evaluated Saturday in Cleveland and will be re-examined in four weeks. Curry is chomping at the bit as he wants to get back onto the court.

As for the game, the Warriors and Cavs played a very entertaining first half. The lead changed hands 11 times and was tied seven times. The Cavs started to pull away late in the first half 59-52. It was at this point that the Warriors went on a 9-0 run to finish the first half. The run was capped by Damion Lee’s three-pointer at the buzzer.

The third quarter belonged to Golden State. The Warriors, as they have done away in past seasons, played like champions. They outscored the Cavs 44-19 to blow open the game. The connected on ten 3-point shots. The Cavs’ coach Jon Beilein used his bench in the fourth quarter. They did outscore the W’s 34-26, but they could not overcome the 27-point deficit they faced starting the final 12 minutes of play.

Game Notes and Stats-

The Warriors’ Kevon Looney returned to action Saturday night. The young man from Milwaukee played 12 minutes and recorded 2 points and 4 rebounds. He missed the last 18 games played. Looney was an essential piece in the Warriors’ lineup the past four seasons. Steve Kerr was pleased to have him back.

Draymond Green had quite a night in 25 minutes of action. Draymond recorded 8 points, 7 boards, and tied a career-high with 16 assists. The Warriors had seven players in double figures. They moved the ball well and recorded 39 assists in the game.

Glenn Robinson pace the club with 22 points. D’Angelo Russell had 19. Russell made six threes and one free throw. Damion Lee knocked down 18. Eric Paschall had 16, Omari Spellman 12, Alec Burks 15, and Marquese Chriss 10.

Collin Sexton led the Cavs with 23. Kevin Porter, Jr. had 19, Darius Garland 15, Kevin Love 14, Larry Nance, Jr. 12, and Cedi Osman 10. Former Warrior, Alfonzo McKinnie played 18 minutes and had 5 points and 2 rebounds.

It was the biggest margin of victory for the Warriors this season. As mentioned above, the connected on 10 threes in the third quarter.

The Warriors Warriors improved to 5-22 on the road while the Cavs dropped to 6-21 at home. Overall, the W’s are 11-39, and the Cavs are 13-37.

The Warriors play game four of the five-game road trip Monday night in Washington against the Wizards. The game will start at 4 pm.

 

Kings defy the odds and beat the Clippers in LA 124-103

Published on by Charlie O. MalloneeLeave a comment
FoxClippers
@NBCBayArea

By Charlie O. Mallonee

After being blown out by the Oklahoma City Thunder on their homecourt in Sacramento on Wednesday night, the Sacramento Kings traveled to Los Angeles to take on the Clippers in the back end of a back-to-back on Thursday night. The Kings chances of winning were just 37.3 percent.

Sacramento has not been a team that has found their homecourt to be a huge advantage this season. In fact, they seem to be very comfortable in big games on the road. That was the case again on Thursday night.

No Kawhi

The Kings did draw the good luck card because Kawhi Leonard was held out of the game due to lower back tightness. That may have really translated to the “load management” card because the Kings have not been playing great basketball lately. If the Clippers took that chance, they played the right percentages.

The Clippers started strong

The Clippers came out of the gate strong scoring 33 points in the opening 12 minutes. They held the Kings to 28 points.

‘Sacramento held the Clippers to just 14 points in the second period. LA shot just 6-for-24 overall in the quarter and did not go to the free throw line once.

The Kings hit 13 of 22 attempts from the field and nine of those baskets were 3-pointers.

The Second Half

The Kings outscored the Clippers 60-56 in final 24 minutes.

Top scorers

  • De’Aaron Fox was the leading scorer in the game with 34 points to go with eight assists and three rebounds.
  • Lou Williams led the Clippers scoring attack with 22 points and he added six assists.

The Glass cleaners

  • Dewayne Dedmon was the top rebounder with 11 grabs. He made it a double-double game by scoring 11 points.
  • Ivica Zubac hauled in 10 rebounds to lead the Clippers.

Dropping dimes

  • De’Aaron Fox dropped a game-high eight dimes in the contest.
  • Lou Williams dished out six assists to lead the Clippers.

Up next

The Kings will host the Lakers on Saturday night.

The Clippers will welcome the Timberwolves on Saturday afternoon.

Celtics breeze to a comfortable win over Warriors 119-104

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photo from mercurynews.com : The Golden State Warriors Damion Lee (1) is held back from going after the basketball by the Boston Celtics Jaylen Brown (7) during Thursday night’s game at TD Garden in Boston

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Warriors lost for the 15th time in the last 16 games Thursday night in Boston. The final score was 119-104. The Celtics are now 19-5 at home for the season.

The Warriors knew that they would have to be at their best to beat the Celtics. They started well and had an early lead. The Celtics tied the game at 15 apiece early in the first quarter. They made two buckets to lead 19-15, and they never relinquished the lead from that point on until the end of the game.

The Celtics finished the first period leading 29-22. They went on a 12-2 run to gain the lead and were led by Gordon Hayward’s 15 points. The Celtics’ defense stifled the Warriors and held them to 22 points.

The Warriors offense just could not get anything going. At one stretch, they were three for 18 from the floor. The Celtics increased the lead to seventeen 46-29. The Warriors did respond, and behind D’Angelo Russell and Alec Burks, they cut the deficit to ten to finish the first half trailing 60-50.

Russell led the Warriors with ten, and Burks had nine. No other Warrior had more than five points in the half. Gordon Hayward finished with 17, and Jayle Brown had 13 to pace the Celtics.

The Celtics won the third period 31-29. The Warriors fell behind by fifteen and finished the quarter trailing by 12. The Celtics met every Warriors challenge. Alec Burks led the Warriors offense in the period. The Celtics defense held Russell in check.

Their scheme was to pressure Russell. The Warriors needed other players to step up. Alec Burks answered the call, but that was about the best the Warriors could do.

The Warriors could not close the gap in the final 12 minutes of the game. The Celtics outscored them by three to win 119-104.

Game Notes and stats- The Warriors shot 43% from the floor. They made 33 baskets in 77 tries. Their problem was that Boston took 88 shots and made 42. The Warriors hit 12 threes. The Celtics made 15. The Warriors were out rebounded 51-30. The Celtics had 19-second chance points. The Warriors had two.

D’Angelo finished with 22 points and was three for 11 from beyond the three-point arc. Burks had 18, and he made three threes. Damion Lee, who struggled with his shooting the last five games, regained his touch and added 11. Glenn Robinson had 11, Marquese Chriss nine, and Draymond green nine.

Gordon Hayward led the Celtic attack with 25. Marcus Smart had 21, and he connected on five threes. Jayson Tatum had 20, Jaylen Brown, who played at Cal, knocked down 18. The leading Celtic scorer, Kemba Walker, was held to 13.

The Celtics honored the memory of Kobe Bryant with a beautiful tribute before the game. Alec Burks also honored Kobe when he changed his uniform number from eight to 20.

The Warriors are now 10-38 fro the year. The Celtics improved to 32-15

The Warriors meet the Cavaliers in Cleveland Saturday night. The game will start at 5 pm.