Category: NBA

Warriors improved play still lose to Pacers 129-118

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The Utah Jazz’ Rudy Gobert (27) and the Golden State Warriors Willie Cauley-Stein (2) scramble under the basket for the loose ball at the Chase Center in San Francisco on Fri Jan 24th

By Jerry Feitelberg

San Francisco- The Golden State Warriors hosted the Indiana Pacers at the Chase Center Friday night. The Warriors were hoping to rebound after being blown out by the Utah Jazz Wednesday night.

The Warriors played with a lot of energy. They moved the ball well as they recorded 31 assists. They shot 49% from the floor, and they made 19 threes. It was not enough as they turned the ball over 20 times, and Indiana put 33 points on the board as a result of the Warriors sloppy play.

The Pacers, who average about 27 three-point attempts per game. Knocked down 17 in 28 tries Friday night. The Pacers like to make a lot of two-point buckets, and Friday night’s game was no exception. They shot 57% from the floor to beat the Warriors 129-118.

The Warriors got off to a good start early in the first quarter. They led 22-16 about halfway through the first period. The Pacers got their offense going, and they went on a 13-0 run to lead 29-22. The Pacers finished the first quarter leading 35-30.

The Pacers played well as they increased the lead to 50-38. The Pacers defense held the Warriors scoreless for over three minutes in the period. The Warriors continued to turn the ball over, and the Pacers capitalized on the Warriors miscues.

The Pacers finished the first half with a 16-point advantage 67-51. D’Angelo Russell led the W’s with 16. Marquese Chriss was the only other Warrior in double figures with 10. The Pacers’ T.J.Warren led his team with 21. Doug McDermott coming off the bench knocked down 15, and he helped propel the Pacers to the 16-point advantage.

The Warriors turned things around in the third period. D’Angelo Russell made several threes, and the Warriors went on a 14-2 run to cut the deficit to six points as they trailed 80-74. The Pacers regrouped and were able to finish the third period leading by 98-86.

In the fourth quarter, The Warriors continued to make threes. Jordan Poole made two consecutive threes to make it 110-103. The Pacers refused to fold. They went up by thirteen 121-108. The Warriors went on a 7-0 run to trail 121-115. The Pacers were not fazed, and they went on to win 129-118.

Game Notes and Stats- The Warriors announced that they have traded center Willie Cauley-Stein to the Dallas Mavericks for a second-round draft choice. The Mavs needed to replace former Stanford star, Dwight Powell. Powell suffered a ruptured Achilles tendon injury. He will miss the rest of the season and part of the 2020-21 season, too.

With the loss, the Warriors drop to 10-37. Indiana won its eighth game out of the last ten played. They are 30-16 and are within two games of being in second place in the Eastern Conference. They will be in the playoffs. Malcolm Brogdon did not play due to an injury, and the Pacers’ Victor Oladipo is close to returning to action.

The W’s were led by D’Angelo Russell’s 37 points. Russell was nine for 13 from behind the three-point arc. Glenn Robinson had 18. Chriss finished with 13. Alec Burks had 11 points, five rebounds, and seven assists. Draymond Green recorded a double-double with ten points, six boards, and 11 assists. Jordan Poole, Omari Spellman, And Eric Paschall each added nine.

T.J.Warren had 33 for Indiana, Doug McDermott finished with 24, Jeremy Lamb and Damontas Sabonis each had 16. Sabonis pulled down ten rebounds to record a double-double. Aaron Holiday had 12. His brother Justin, a former Warrior, contributed eight to help the Pacers win.

The Warriors go on the road for the next two weeks. They meet the Philadelphia Sixers Tuesday night. Thursday they are in Boston, Saturday they play the Cavaliers. They go to Washington and Brooklyn before returning home to face the Lakers on February 8th.

Royalty Flushed: Kings drop sixth straight in Detroit,127-106

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By Morris Phillips

Losing streaks are hard enough to digest, and the individual moments within those streaks even more so.

For the Kings, losing at the middling Pistons, the ninth-ranked team in the Eastern Conference, for their sixth straight loss while allowing Detroit 19 points more than their season average may rank as the nadir for fading Sacramento.

It certainly felt like it in the third quarter when the Pistons turned a 57-50 advantage at the half into a rout.

“Basketball is a simple game: Defend without fouling, make the right play and knock down shots early,” coach Bill Walton said. “I feel like we didn’t do any of those things.”

The Kings certainly didn’t defend. The Pistons were without Andre Drummond and Blake Griffin, along with taking the occassion to send a message regarding punctuality to rookie Sekou Doumbouya, who didn’t start for the first time in 10 games. Despite the absences, the Pistons got way too comfortable shooting the basketball at 53 percent for the game, and at an even higher clip than that in their 36-point, third quarter that put the game away.

Meanwhile, the Kings certainly didn’t have a coherent plan to match the high-scoring Pistons. Missing 25 of their 35 3-point shot attempts kept Sacramento’s offense disjointed and unable to make up the deficit, which grew and grew.

“There are times where we are out there playing good basketball and there are times when we’re not,” De’Aaron Fox said. “I said it before, you just try to play the best basketball you can for the most amount of time. I don’t think we’re doing that right now.”

With the recent trade of Trevor Ariza to Portland, and the Pistons’ lineup changes, the game became a battle of new faces. One stood out: Reggie Jackson, playing in his first game after missing 42 due to a back injury, led the Pistons with 22 points and four assists.

“When you alternate (Jackson with Derrick Rose, who also scored 22 points), you have stability at the point guard position, and that’s what this league is all about, guys that can create and run the floor,” coach Dwayne Casey said of his team’s offense.

Rose, the NBA’s renaissance man, and the guy most frequently mentioned to upgrade a playoff contender’s outlook down the stretch of this season, scored better than 20 points for the 10th straight game, matching his career-best stretch from his MVP season in 2011.

Christian Wood added 23 points to give Detroit three scorers with 20 or more, and Svi Mykhailiuk added 13. The Pistons poured it on in a 70-point, second half that far too much resembled a basketball clinic for the Kings’ liking.

“It’s about where we’re going and I’m a very patient person,” Walton said. “I believe in our group, but we need to do a lot of things including starting games with a much more competitive, engaged mindset. So, I still have all the belief in the world in our team. It’s still surreal to be coaching this team, but there are some things that we need to improve on and improve on quickly because it’s too late in the season to be having these same types of mistakes so frequently.”

The Kings continue their road swing on Friday in Chicago. The Kings and Bulls will be meeting for the second time this season after the Chicago held on for a 113-106 win at Golden 1 Center on December 2.

 

 

 

 

 

Red-hot Utah Jazz blowout Warriors 129-96

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By Jerry Feitelberg

San Francisco- The visiting Utah Jazz, coached by Quin Snyder, pounded the Golden State Warriors Wednesday night at the Chase Center. The Jazz, who have won 13 of the last fourteen and are 18-2 in the previous 20 games, excelled on both ends of the court to win their third game of the year against the W’s by a score of 129-96. The Jazz, for the first time in ten years, swept the season series against Golden State.

Utah added two players to the roster before the start of the season. They signed Bojan Bogdanovic, who played for the Indiana Pacers as a free agent. They made a trade with Memphis for Michael Conley. Conley, a former All-Star, had missed several games with a hamstring injury. Conley, slowly rounding into shape, was available off the bench.

The Warriors, who won a close game over Orlando last week and then lost a thriller in overtime to the Portland Trailblazers, were hoping to continue playing well. Alas, that was not the case Wednesday night.

Rudy Gobert, the massive center from France, dominated the Warriors on both ends of the court. He clogged up middle and protected the rim. The W’s could not get by big Rudy. On the other end of the court, Rudy made layups, dunks, and showcased a left-handed hook shot that was reminiscent of Kareem Abdul Jabbar’s skyhook.

The Jazz easily won the first period 31-17. They finished the quarter on a 20-7 run. Gobert and Donovan Mitchell led the Jazz offense. They held the Warriors scoreless for over four minutes in the quarter as they made the run.

In the second quarter, the W’s played better. They scored 26 points. Their problem was that the Jazz scored 34 to finish the first half with a 22-point lead 65-43. Gobert and Mitchell each had 15 points apiece. Gobert pulled down 11 rebounds. Bogdanovich and Jordan Clarkson each had 9. Joe Ingles, who is a terrific 3-point shooter, finished the half with 8. The Warriors’ D’Angelo Russell paced the team with 15. No other Warrior had more than 6 points.

The Jazz owned the third quarter as they outscored Golden State 35-26 to finish the quarter with a 31-point lead 100-69. The Jazz had the game in their pocket. D’Angelo Russell provided most of the offense in the period. The W’s just could not pierce Utah’s defense.

The Warriors lost the fourth quarter 29-27. Utah removed all their starters from the game. The Warriors’ big men Omari Spellman, Eric Paschall, and Marquese Chriss were able to put points on the board in the final stanza. The Jazz reserves still outscored Golden State and finished the night with a win 129-96.

Game Notes and Stats- The Warriors lost for the 12th time in the last 13 games. Their record for the season is 10-36. Glenn Robinson and Draymond Green were back in the starting lineup after missing the previous two games.

Russell led the W’s with 26 points, 3 rebounds, and 3 assists. He made two threes in 7 tries. Omari Spellman had 12, most of which came in the fourth quarter. Eric Paschall and Marquese Chriss each had 11. Glenn Robinson finished with 10.

Donovan Mitchell finished with 23 points. He made 4 threes in 8 tries. Gobert recorded 22 points, 15 rebounds, and blocked 3 shots. Bogdanovic had 18, and he was 4 for 8 from beyond the three-point arc. Joe Ingles had 11, Georges Niang 11, and Jordan Clarkson 10.

The Jazz shot 54% from the floor, and they held the Warriors 39%. They made 17 threes while the Warriors connected on 6. The Jazz outrebounded the W’s 56-37.

The W’s Marquese Chriss and the Jazz’ Tony Bradley were hit with double technicals with 22 seconds left in the game. Both players were ejected.

The Warriors welcome the Indiana Pacers to the Chase Center Friday night. The game will start at 7:30 pm.

Sacramento Kings podcast with Charlie O: Kings can’t stand the Heat on five game losing streak

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msn.com photo: msn.com photo: Sacramento Kings guard Buddy Hield (24) attempts a 3-pointer over Miami Heat guard Kendrick Nunn, left, and forward Duncan Robinson (55) during the first half, Monday, Jan. 20, 2020, in Miami.

On the Kings podcast with Charlie O:

#1 The Sacramento Kings lost another one this time by five points 118-113 in Miami it was the overtime stanza that dropped the Kings as the Heat outscored them 13-8

#2 The Kings only won in the first frame the first quarter 24-21 but dropped the rest of game and showed flashes forcing overtime

#3 The Kings Nemanja Bjelica led with 22 points he was one of the main reasons why Sacramento stayed in this one.

#4 For the Heat Kendrick Nunn kept things going with a team leading 25 the highest scorer of the contest.

#5 It’s off to Little Cesar’s Arena in Detroit, the Kings will face the Detroit Pistons (16-28) Wednesday night. The Pistons have been playing .500 ball winning four of their last eight.

Charlie O hosts the Sacramento Kings podcast each Tuesday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

The Kings lost their fifth consecutive game in Miami 118-113

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By Charlie O. Mallonee

The Sacramento Kings lost their fifth consecutive game on Monday afternoon in Miami. The Kings took the Heat to overtime but lost 118-113.

The optimist will say the Kings came close to handing the Heat just their second home loss of the season. The proper response at this point of the season is: “Close on counts in hand grenades and horseshoes!”

The situation is going supercritical

The Kings record has fallen to 15-28 for the season. They are now 5.0 games out of eighth place which is the final playoff spot. With the season more than half over, time is slipping away at a rapid rate.

As head coach Luke Walton said over a week ago, “No one is coming to save us.” Sacramento is not going to be able to make one blockbuster trade that is going to change their entire direction for the remainder of the season. They just do not have the pieces in place to make such a deal.

FiveThirtyEight.com gives the Kings just a 2% chance of making the NBA Playoffs. They are projecting Sacramento to finish with a record of 32-50 which certainly seems to be within the realm of reason. That would also put the Kings well short of being a playoff team … again.

The Kings battled hard in this game

After being blown out in Utah to start this road trip, the Kings regrouped to put up a fight against the very talented Miami Heat. In fact, the Kings held a 58-56 lead at the half. The Kings continued to battle the Heat and the game finished in a tie in the regulation 48 minutes after Bam Adebayo tied the game with a layup with less than a second left in the game.

Miami went on a 7-0 run to finish overtime to guarantee the win over the Kings. Miami has lost just one game this season at home and after the game on Monday, the Kings now know why.

Top performers

Kings

  • Nemanja Bjelica scored 22 points and pulled down six rebounds
  • Buddy Hield put up 20 points, grabbed seven rebounds and added seven assists
  • De’Aaron Fox scored 14 points and dished out eight assists
  • Bogdan Bogdanovic scored 14 points
  • Harrison Barnes scored 11 points and hauled in five rebounds

Miami

  • Kendrick Nunn scored 25 points to go with seven rebounds and six assists
  • James Johnson added 22 points, six rebounds, three assists and two blocks
  • Goran Dragic put up 18 points plus four assists
  • Bam Adebayo finished with 16 points, 11 points and five assists

 

 

Up next

The Kings will travel on to Detroit to face the Pistons on Wednesday.

The Heat will host the Wizards on Wednesday night.

 

Warriors lose a thriller in overtime to Portland 129-124

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azcentral.com photo: msn.com photo: Portland Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard drives to the hoop against the Golden State Warriors.

By Jerry Feitelberg

It was a meeting of two banged-up teams Monday night at the Mod Center in Portland, Oregon. The Golden State Warriors suited up eight players for the game. Draymond Green was out with a sprained finger.

Glenn Robinson has a sore ankle and was not available. Kevon Looney is still on the injured list. Portland had nine players available. C.J. McCollum was held out of action Monday night. He may return on Wednesday. There is no timetable for Zach Collins or Jusef Nurcic to return.

The Warriors beat the Blazers the last time the teams met. The Blazers couldn’t believe what happened to them, and they wanted to get the win. Without McCollum, the scoring load fell to the Blazers’ other All-Star guard, Damian Lillard. Lillard, who is from Oakland, had a sensational game.

The young man from Oakland put a career-high and season-high sixty-one points on the board. He made a career-high 11 threes and led his team to a 129-124 overtime win over the Warriors.

The game was a barn-burner from start to finish. The most significant lead that Portland had all night was six points. The Warriors led by 11 in the second quarter 44-33. Lillard started making threes, and the W’s lead disappeared.

The Blazers won the first period 27-23. D’Angelo Russell was one-for nine from the floor early in the game. Alec Burks and Damion Lee paced the Warrior offense in the quarter. The Warriors started the second quarter on a 12-0 run to lead 35-27 the Warriors, behind D’Angelo Russell’s 13-point performance, finished the first half with a 4-point advantage 57-53.

Russell led the team in scoring in the first half with 15. Burks had 11. Willie Cauley-Stein and Marquese Chriss each had eight. Damian Lillard led Portland with 21. He made two threes in the half.

The third quarter was wild and wooly. The Warriors won the quarter 35-34. Eric Paschall, D’Angelo Russell, Alec Burks, and Jordan Poole all contributed helping the Warriors end the third period leading 92-87. The Blazers’ Lillard put on a show as he had 21 points in the third quarter to keep Portland close to the lead.

The Warriors maintained the lead for a while in the fourth quarter. Russell hit a three to make the score 100-95. Portland clawed their way back and regained the lead for the first time since the first quarter when Lillard knocked down a three to put Portland ahead 103-102.

The Blazers increased the lead to 105-102. It was at this point that the Warriors went on a 7-0 run to lead 109-105. Portland fought back and led 110-109. The Warriors made the next two baskets to lead 113-110. Lillard made his tenth three of the night to tie the game at 113 and send it to overtime.

The Warriors, behind Alec Burks, Eric Paschall, and Willie Cauley-Stein scored the first six points of the overtime period to lead 119-113. The Warriors could not stop Lillard. He continued to find ways to score, and his efforts led the Blazers to the lead 123-121.

Alec Burks hit a three, and the W’s regained the advantage 124-123.  The Warriors would not score again. Portland made a two-point shot to go-ahead 125-124. Burks then missed a three. Portland’s big center, Hassan Whiteside, was fouled, making the rebound.

Whiteside made the free throws to put the Blazers in the driver’s seat 127-124. The Warriors with 8.5 seconds to play, and they needed to make a three-point shot. The Warriors found Jordan Poole in the corner. His three-point shot missed the mark. Damian Lillard was then fouled. Lillard made both free throws to put the icing on the cake. Portland wins 129-124.

Game Notes and Stats- The star of the night was Damian Lillard. Lillard set a career-high with 61 points. He tallied 60 earlier this season. He also had a career-high 11 threes. He also set an NBA record for points scored on Martin Luther King Day.

The Warriors played well but not well enough. The young Warriors have played tough competitive games, and they should be much better when they get their star players back. The Warriors youngsters are getting valuable playing time. They are learning how to compete in the NBA. It has been a challenging year, to say the least, for the Warriors. Let’s take a look at the bright side of Monday’s night loss.

Alec Burks led Golden State with 33 points, seven rebounds, and eight assists. Burks made two three-point shots. D’Angelo Russell’s numbers were 27 points, eight boards, nine assists, and five 3s. Eric Paschall had a double-double with 22 points and 13 rebounds. Marquese Chriss had 14, Willie Cauley-Stein 12, and Jordan Poole nine.

Damian Lillard finished with 61 points, 10 rebounds, 7 assists, and he connected on 11 threes. Hassan Whiteside, who always plays well against Golden State, had 17 points, 21 rebounds, and he blocked six shots. Carmelo Anthony had 14, Anfernee Simons, 15, and Gary Trent, Jr. 11.

The Blazers will announce on Tuesday that they have traded Kent Bazemore and Anthony Tolliver to the Sacramento Kings for Trevor Ariza, Caleb Swangian, and Wenyen Gabriel.

With the loss, The Warriors drop to 10-35. The Blazers improved to 19-26.

The Warriors return home to face the Utah Jazz Wednesday night at the Chase Center. The game will start at 7 pm.

 

Kings dropped their fourth consecutive game on Saturday night in Utah 123-101

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by Charlie O. Mallonee

The Sacramento Kings lost their fourth-consecutive game in Utah on Saturday night 123-101. That is not how the Kings wanted to kick off their five-game road trip.

The Kings were never really in the game against the Jazz. Utah outscored the Kings 38-22 in the opening quarter and that set the tone for the entire game.

Sacramento (15-27) was not able to stop the Utah (29-13) pick and roll attack. The Kings also kept sending the Jazz to the free throw line and Utah kept converting those opportunities.

The Kings were missing Holmes

The Kings defense really missed the injured Richaun Holmes on Saturday night. When Sacramento beat Utah back in November, Holmes played a very physical game versus Jazz star Rudy Gobert. On Saturday night, no one kept a body on Gobert and he had his way with the Kings.

Bogi was back for SAC

Bogdan Bogdanovic returned to the lineup for the Kings, but it was apparent that he was still a bit “rusty” as he returned from being off the court. Bogdanovic scored 11 points shooting 5-for-11 from the floor. He also added four rebounds and four assists in his 22-plus minutes of playing time.

The other Bogi was really on

Utah’s Bogdanovic – Bojan – scored 30 points in his team’s victory. He shot 10-for-15 overall and 6-of-9 from behind the 3-point line. Bogdanovic was really just unstoppable.

TOP PERFORMERS

Leading scorers

  • Bojan Bogdanovic was the game’s high scorer putting 30 points in the book
  • De’Aaron Fox scored a team-high 21 points for the Kings

The Glass cleaners

  • Rudy Gobert the leading rebounder with 15 and made it a double-double game by scoring 28 points
  • Marvin Bagley III led the Kings with seven rebounds

Dropping dimes

  • Joe Ingles distributed a game-leading 12 assists
  • Fox led the Kings with eight dimes

THE BIG HEADLINE OF THE NIGHT

According to league sources, the Portland Trail Blazers and the Sacramento Kings have made a five -player trade. There has not been an official announcement because one of the players involved cannot sign a regular NBA contract until Tuesday.

Reportedly, the Kings will send Trevor Ariza, Wenyen Gabriel, and Caleb Swanigan to Portland in exchange for Kent Bazemore and Anthony Tolliver. The Kings would also receive two second-round draft picks, one in 2024 and one for 2025.

The reason Portland was interested in the trade is believed to be their interest in adding Kevin Love to their roster. This trade will clear millions from their payroll that they need in order to make room to make a deal for Love.

The Kings were interested in the deal because they will receive two serviceable players with expiring contracts. Combined those contracts will be worth over 21-million dollars salary cap clearing-dollars. Sacramento may have just made the way to keep Bogdan Bogdanovic a Sacramento King for the long term.

The Kings will also open an extra roster spot in the deal.

Look for the next deal that the Kings will make to involve Dewayne Dedmon who has publicly requested a trade. The Kings will no doubt be looking for a player with an expiring contract in order to have the flexibility for next season.

Warriors overcome slow start and finish with 109-95 win; Snaps 10 game losing streak

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eastbaytimes.com photo: Golden State Warriors’ Jordan Poole (3) shoots and makes a three-point basket against the Orlando Magic in the first quarter of their NBA game at the Chase Center in San Francisco, Calif., on Saturday, Jan. 18, 2020

By Jerry Feitelberg

San Francisco- The Warriors, after losing a heart-breaker Thursday night to the Denver Nuggets, appeared to be suffering the ill-effects of that overtime loss. Golden State may have started slowly, but they were able to overcome the slow start and went on the beat the Orlando Magic 109-95.

The visiting Orlando Magic started well and grabbed an early 13-0 lead. The Warriors went a litte over four minutes before scoring. Rookies Jordan Poole and Eric Paschall connected on a three to cut the deficit to 13-6. In fact, the Warriors went on a 13-2 run to make in 15-13.The teams played a very competitive firs quarter and the Warriors finished leading 28-25.

The Warriors continued to play well in the second quarter. The Magic kept pace and neither team could get any separtion. Both teams played well on defense and the first half ended with the Warriors in the lead with a one-point advantage 53-52.

Jordan Poole was the only Warrior in double figures. Poole has played well since his return from the G-League team in Santa Cruz. He knocked down three threes and finished with 14. Eric Paschall had nine, and Omari Spellman eight.

The Magic’s leading scorer in the first half Markell Fultz with 14. Fultz, a number one draft pick by the Philadelphia Sixers, has found a new life for himself in Orlando. No other Magic player had more than seven.

The Warriors, who used to own the third quarter during the dynasty days, have had the tables turned on them so far this season. The Warriors, on Saturday, played like the Warriors of old. They outscored the Magic 29-19.

D’Angelo Russell sparked the team to the 11-point lead 82-71 to end the period. They played well on both ends of the court. They also wanted to rebound from the Denver loss. In that game, they had a substantial lead heading into the fourth quarter.

They did not want to have that happen again. However, Orlando, a team that is in contention for a playoff berth in the Eastern Conference, came to life and went on a 14-4 run to trail 86-85. The young Warriors have learned that they cannot let down in the fourth quarter.

Eric Paschall and D’Angelo each made a bucket to go up 90-87. The Magic bounced back and regained the lead 91-90. Orlando were leading 93-32 when Damion Lee made a layup and was fouled on the play. He made the foul throw. Lee’s basket and free throw started the Warriors on a 17-2 run that propelled them to the win 109-95.

Game Notes and Stats- With the win, the W’s improved to 10-34. The last time the Warriors had a 10-game losing streak took place March 9-24, 2002. D’Angelo Russell led the team with 26 points and 12 assists.

Jordan Poole had 21, Eric Paschall 20, Willie Cauley-Stein 10, Alec Burks 11, Damion Lee 9, and Omari Spellman 8. Markell Fultz led the Magic with 23. The Warrior defense held Nikola Vucevic to 13, and Evan Fournier o 12. Both of these players average about 19 points per game. Aaron Gordon had 11, and Terrence Ross 10.

The Warriors’s Draymond Green did not play due to a finger injury. Glenn Robinson was banged up and Steve Kerr gave him the night off. The Warriors, down to nine players, recalled Ky Bowman from Santa Cruz.

The Warriors travel to Portland to face the Trailblazers Monday night. The game will start at 7pm. The Warriors return home to face Utah Jazz at the Chase Center on Wednesday.

Warriors play well still lose in overtime 134-131

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sbnation.com photo: Warriors continue their skid as they lose to the Denver Nuggets on Thursday night at Chase Center in San Francisco

By Jerry Feitelberg

San Francisco- The Warriors welcomed back Damion Lee and Marquese Chriss to the team Thursday night. Lee is no longer a two-way player. He signed a three-year contract with the club on Wednesday. Chriss was waived to make room for Lee.

None of the other 29 teams signed him and the Warriors were able to sign him to a two-way contract. With those two young men in the lineup, the Warriors had to face the Denver Nuggets at the Chase Center. The Nuggets, coached by the Warriors former assistant coach Mike Malone, own the second-best record in the Western Conference.

The Nuggets were missing three key players Paul Millsap, Gary Harris, and Jamal Murray. Those three players score about 41 points a game. The Warriors were without three key players, too. Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, and Kevon Looney were not available.

The young Warriors gave the Nuggets a much tougher battle than they imagined. The Warriors led most of the way until late in the fourth quarter. The Warriors didn’t fold. They clawed their way back to tie the game and send it to overtime. The Nuggets, with three very tall players, were able to hold off the Warriors to win the game 134-131.

The Nuggets grabbed a 3-0 lead in the first quarter on the first bucket of the game. The Warriors made three threes to lead 9-3. They outplayed the Nuggets and finished the first quarter leading 34-19. The Warriors continued to hold the led for the entire second period. The Warriors offense stalled and they committed too many turnovers.

The Nuggets went on a 16-4 run to close the gap to 46-41. Alec Burks, D’Angelo Russell led the Warriors on a 13-2 run to finish the quarter leading 62-45. Russell, with 12, and Damian Lee, with 11, paced the Warrior offense.

The Nuggets, determined not to lose to Golden State, outscored the Warriors 28-23 in the third quarter. They cut the lead to eight 79-71, but the Warriors made buckets near the end of the period to lead 85-73 after three periods of play.

The Nuggets upped the ante in the fourth quarter. They had their two bigs, Nikola Jokic and Mason Plumlee, on the floor at the same time. The Nuggets wanted to get the ball into the hands of Will Barton and Malik Beasley. Barton and Beasley were on fire and they were making threes. The Nuggets defense did its job as they held to 28 points while they scored 40. Denver took a lead late in the game but the Warriors found a way to tie the game and send it to overtime.

The Nuggets showed why they are one of the best teams in the NBA. They made the first basket in the extra stanza. They increased the lead to seven 128-121 when Will Barton knocked down a three. The w’s trailed by six when Damion Lee connected on a three and Draymond Green made two free throws to cut the deficit to one 132-131 with 9.9 seconds left to play. Damion Lee missed a three that would have tied the game, but time ran out and the Nuggets prevailed 134-131.

Game Notes and Stats- The Warriors probably played their best game of the year. The Warriors coaching staff had to be impressed with the effort of his young team. The fans at the Chase Center realized that the team was making progress. It didn’t help that it was the Warriors tenth loss in a row. Many people are saying that the Warriors will be so much better next year when Curry and Thompson return.

Here are some of the positives that the people watched Thursday night. The Warriors had seven players in double-figures. The team made 20 threes. They moved the ball well and recorded 36 assists. The negatives were the 18 turnovers and losing the rebounding battle 50-4.

Alec Burks led the club with 25 points. Lee had 21, Russell 19, Glenn Robinson 17, Eric Paschall 16 ( 12 in the 4th quarter), Jodan Poole, and Willie Cauley-Stein each had 10.

Will Barton, the well-known Warrior killer, paced the Nuggets with 31. Barton made seven threes in ten tries. Malik Beasley posted 27 points and he made five threes. Jokis had a double-double with 23 points and 12 board. Mason Plumlee also had a double-double with 15 points and 15 rebounds. The third big man, Michael Porter, Jr. recorded a double-double, too. He had 18 points, 10 points, and five assists. He made three threes in three tries.

With the loss, the Warriors are now 9-34. Denver’s record improved to 29-12.

 

 

 

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Kings just couldn’t get to finish line Mavericks win it 127-123

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@Sportsnet photo: The Dallas Mavericks Luka Doncic was hard to contain as he and the Mavericks rains buckets on the Sacramento Kings on Wednesday night at Golden One Center in Sacramento

By Jeremiah Salmonson

SRS Kings beat writer

SACRAMENTO–The Sacramento Kings continued to be mire in the mist that is mediocrity. Just when you think they are turning a corner they have a puzzling defeat that puts them back at square one.

The Kings were hoping to flip the script against an opponent they beat on the road last month, the Dallas Mavericks. It was set to be the showdown of Luka Doncic and Marvin Bagley both of whom were picked high in the draft two seasons ago. The tip-off was set for 7 PM PST at Golden One Center.

In the first quarter, the Kings got a strong showing from Buddy Hield. Trying to put his early-season struggles behind him, Buddy was in double figures in the first with ten points. However, the Mavericks managed to take the early lead on 55.6% shooting 35-31. Maxi Kleber was the leading scorer for the Mavs with eight points.

In the second quarter, The Kings kept things close. The Kings scored 36 points in the second but it wasn’t enough to take the lead. The Mavs added 36 as well to keep the game right where it started in the second at a four-point Kings deficit 71-67. The games leading scorers to this point were Buddy Hield and Seth Curry who both had 16 points. The Kings would look to keep up the pace on defense to contain the Mavs offense.

In the third quarter, The Kings had a familiar occurrence take place. That is the third-quarter meltdown. The Mavs outscored the Kings 37 to 26 in the third to make it a 108-93 game. The Kings looked defeated. The Kings defense had let them down in a big way. The Mavs had scored 35, 36, and 37 points in the first three quarters. No NBA team is going to win a game with those numbers. The Kings were heading into the final session looking for a miracle.

In the final quarter, no miracle occurred in Sacramento. The Mavericks scored 19 in the fourth compared to the Kings 20 as the Mavs came away with the victory 127-123. The Leading scorers for the Kings in defeat were De’Aaron Fox with 27 points, Buddy Hield with 25 points and Harrison Barnes who put up 22. For the victorious Mavericks, it was Luka Doncic who had 24 points to go along with 17 assists and 15 rebounds. The Kings are now 15-26 on the season and are running out of excuses.

They are about to embark on a long road trip that will really test this team’s resolve to stay in the hunt this season.

Up Next: The Kings head out on the road to take on the Utah Jazz on Saturday at 6 PM PST. The Kings won’t return home until January 29th.