Category: NBA

Sacramento Kings podcast with Charlie O: Kings prepare for opener Wednesday in Phoenix

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Photo credit: bleacherreport.com

On the Kings podcast with Charlie O:

#1 The Sacramento Kings’ preseason came to a close last Wednesday at Golden 1 Center. Kings head coach Luke Walton used the game to get a good look at some of his young prospects.

#2 One young prospect in particular Kyle Guy. He was drafted using the 55th pick.

#3 The Kings relied on Martin Bagley III in the game against Melbourne. He scored 30 points and 14 rebounds.

#4 The Kings’ Yogi Ferrell scored 5-6 from three-point land for a total of 24 points.

#5 The Kings open the regular season in Phoenix the Wednesday night. Talk about how ready the Kings are for the regular season.

Charlie O is a beat writer for the Sacramento Kings and does the Kings podcasts each Tuesday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Warriors subdue Lakers to win final preseason game, 124-103

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Photo credit: @warriors

By Jerry Feitelberg

SAN FRANCISCO — The Golden State Warriors downed the Los Angeles Lakers 124-103 to finish the preseason with a 2-3 record. People have to keep in mind that the preseason games are used to see how the new players will mesh with the returning veterans. The Warriors used many combinations in the first four games to see who they would keep on the roster. The process was complicated by injuries to several players. Kevon Looney, Willie Cauley Stein, Alec Burks, and Alen Smailagic did not play a single minute in the preseason. Will the two big men available, Marquese Chriss, taking advantage of the opportunity, earn a spot on the roster? The 22-year old big man will probably start at center next Thursday when the Warriors open the season against the revamped Los Angeles Clippers. The Warriors released Alfonzo McKinnie on Friday to make room for Chriss. The Warriors were up against the salary cap and had to either release McKinnie or trade a player. Golden State opted to release McKinnie.

As for Friday night’s game, the Warriors beat the Lakers for the first time this preseason. Perennial All-Star LeBron James did not play. The Lakers rested their other three big men. Anthony Davis, Dwight Howard, and JaVale McGee all rested. The Lakers started Jared Dudley at the center position Friday night. Even with the big men on the Lakers’ bench, the Warriors began slowly. They trailed the Lakers 24-14 when they went on a 12-4 run late in the first period to trail by five 29-24. They outscored the Lakers 7-3 in the last minutes to close the gap to one 32-31.

Early in the second quarter, the Warriors grabbed the lead for the first time 41-40. Steph Curry led the Warriors’ offense as they finished the first half with a 16-point advantage 71-55. Curry hit a three as time ran out, and the crowd went crazy. Steph knocked down 22. D’Angelo Russell added 12, and Glenn Robinson had 10. The Lakers’ top scorers were Kentavios Caldwell-Pope with 17, and Zach Norvell had 16. The Warriors outscored the Lakers 40-23 in the second period.

The Warriors did not relinquish the lead in the third quarter. The Lakers, however, outscored Golden State by ten and finished the period trailing by six 94-88. The Warriors regrouped. D’Angelo Russell played well and drained a couple of threes. Curry re-entered the game with about six minutes left and made a four-point play to help cement the win. Curry knocked down a three and was fouled on the play. He made the free throw to put the Warriors ahead 113-94.  Steph made another three to make it 119-96. Warriors head coach Steve Kerr inserted his bench to finish the game.

Game Notes and Stats: Curry finished the night with 32 points. He made six three in 15 tries. He was on the court for 32 minutes of action. Marquese Chriss had a good night. He had 9 points, 7 boards, and 5 assists. Draymond Green also had 9 points. Green had 12 rebounds and 3 assists. He was on the court for 31 minutes. D’Angelo Russell tallied 29, and he, too, made six threes. Rookie Eric Paschall finished with 11 points and 7 rebounds. Glenn Robinson pitched in with 13 points and six rebounds.

The Lakers had four players in double figures. Caldwell-Pope had 25. Zach Norvell added 29, and he knocked down 5 threes. Rookie Devontae Cacok had a double-double. He recorded 16 points and 10 rebounds. Demetrius Jackson finished with 11 points and 9 assists.

Up Next: The Warriors open the season Thursday, October 24th, at the Chase Center in San Francisco. The LA Clippers will be their opponents. They will be led by Kawhi Leonard. The game will start at 7:30 pm.

Sacramento Kings defeat Melbourne United 124-110

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Photo credit: @SacramentoKings

By London Marq

SACRAMENTO–The NBA preseason is coming to a close and the Sacramento Kings played host to Melbourne United for their final exhibition game. The Kings new coach, Luke Walton, used the international tilt to get a good look at some fresh prospects such as this year’s second round pick Kyle Guy, who was drafted using the 55th pick.

That being said, Marvin Bagley was dominant in the first two frames. He scored 22 in the the opening half and nearly had a double-double with 9 boards. He would finish with 30 points and 14 rebounds. Yogi Ferrell also had a big night, going 5-6 from beyond the arc and finishing with 24 points.

Despite the efforts of Bagley and Ferrell, Melbourne United was competitive on the first half. A late second quarter run was where the Kings really started to distance themselves, going into the half with an 11-point lead. By the end of the third quarter, the Kings were fully in control and the quarter ended with a 27-point Kings advantage.

After winning their previous two games, this game will help the Kings maintain cohesion and momentum going into the regular season.

Final: Sacramento defeated Melbourne 124-110.

Lakers blow out the Warriors 126-93

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Photo credit: nba.com/warriors

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Los Angeles Lakers beat the Warriors for the third time in three tries this preseason. The Lakers had all their bigs in the lineup. Anthony Davis returned to action, LeBron James played 25 minutes, Dwight Howard, and JaVale McGee all kept the smaller Warriors from scoring. The Warriors rested Steph Curry and handed the point guard position to D’Angelo Russell. Russell responded with 23 points.

The Warriors were looking to use the new players to see how they would play against the Lakers. Head coach Steve Kerr is looking for players that will fill the voids left by the losses of Kevin Durant, Quinn Cook, Andre Iguodala, Shaun Livingston, and the injured Klay Thompson. They want to know if Alfonzo McKinnie will be a starting forward. They want to see if he can make the team. They want to know if Jordan Poole can be the player to lead the second unit. They want to know if third-year player Damian Lee will be able to contribute to the second unit. Their big men, Willie Cauley-Stein and Kevon Looney, will be able to handle Anthony Davis, Dwight Howard, Nikola Jokic, Rudy Gobert, and other big men in the league. Looney and Cauley-Stein have not played in the preseason. The Warriors know what Looney can do. They will have to wait until Cauley-Stein recovers from his injury to find out if he meshes well with Curry and Russell.

The Warriors will have to make decisions on Jacob Evans. Evans has played well so far. He scored five Wednesday night. The Warriors need to know if Glenn Robinson III is the answer at forward. Robinson had the night off. Eric Paschall is a candidate to make the team, but not as a starter. The Warriors will use Marquese Chriss at the center position until Cauley-Stein returns.

There is no question that the Warriors are in a rebuilding year. There are so many questions and decisions that have to be made.

As for the game, The Warriors had three players in double figures. Russell led the team with 23. Draymond Green had 10, and Jordan Poole kicked in with 14. Damian Lee added 9. Paschall and Chriss each had 8.

The Lakers were led by LeBron James. James had 18. Dwight Howard had 13, Avery Bradley 18, Anthony Davis 8, JaVale McGee 12. Former Warrior Quinn Cook knocked down 16. He made four threes in five tries.

The Warriors shot 37% from the floor. The Lakers shot 49.2%. The Warriors made seven threes. The Lakers tallied 15. The Lakers outrebounded the Warriors 46-34.

Robinson and Steph Curry did not play.

The fans have to keep in mind that the Warriors are a work in progress. No one wants to see them get blown out, but it is a game that doesn’t count. The Warriors are looking at people that they think will benefit the team. Minutes are limited. Hopefully, they will get off to a good start.

The Warriors play the Lakers again Friday night at the Chase Center. It will be the final preseason game. The season starts for real on Thursday, October 24th, when they play the Los Angeles Clippers at the Chase Center.

Headline Sports podcast with London Marq: Can Raiders make it three in a row against the Pack?; Garoppolo, 49ers take lots of confidence to Seattle this Sunday; plus more

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Photo credit: @Raiders

On Headline Sports podcast with London:

#1 For the Oakland Raiders, they’re nice and rested from their jet lag after their trip to London on October 6th and a bye week on October 13th. Now they prepare to play a Green Bay Packers (5-1) team, who are coming off a 23-22 narrow edge victory against the Detroit Lions last Monday Night Football. Can the Raiders pull off their third straight win at the Frozen Tundra this Sunday?

#2 The Packers got a late field goal in the fourth quarter — a 23-yarder with just over a minute left in the game from kicker Mason Crosby after quarterback Aaron Rogers took two knees before electing to kick a field goal for the one point win.

#3 San Francisco 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo has no doubts and lots of confidence going into these games, on Sunday against the LA Rams Garoppolo threw 24-33 for 243 yards and their fifth straight win 20-7.

#4 The Sacramento Kings picked up their first preseason win against the Utah Jazz Monday night with a 128-115 victory. The Kings’ Buddy Hield was all over the place with 23 points and he was the key to the offense in the Kings win.

#5 In the baseball playoffs, the Houston Astros took a 2-1 ALCS lead over the New York Yankees on Tuesday at Yankee Stadium. The Astros’ Garrett Cole threw for seven innings, four hits, five walks, and seven strikeouts.

London Marq does Headline Sports podcasts each Wednesday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Headline Sports podcast with Barbara Mason: People still asking are 49ers for real; Raiders continue out of town trip in Green Bay Sunday; plus more

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Photo credit: mercurynews.com

On Headline Sports with Barbara:

#1 Are the San Francisco 49ers an optical illusion or are they for real? People are pinching themselves over the Niners at 5-0 and their amazing performance on both sides of the football.

#2 The Oakland Raiders continue their long strange trip this time against the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field on Sunday. The Raiders play their fourth game out of the last five weeks out on the road and they’ve won their last two games.

#3 MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred said for the Oakland City Council to get its act together soon or the Oakland A’s will move to Vegas. Some question if Manfred was more on the hasty and demanding side, while the city has put a legal hold on the A’s ability to buy the Coliseum property. In the meantime, CA Gov. Gavin Newsom said he will try to expedite the construction of the A’s new stadium at the Howard Terminal.

#4 The Cal Bears are coming off a tough loss to Oregon October 5th and host OSU at Cal this is expected to be a much better game this Saturday than their last game in Oregon.

#5 No one would have thought that San Jose Sharks’ Patrick Marleau would be the difference in turning things around after the Sharks went 0-4 and now they’re up to 2-4 and could close in on .500 on Wednesday night with a win over the Carolina Hurricanes at SAP Center.

#6 Calls went against the Detroit Lions Trey Flowers for hand to the face on Monday Night Football on the second hands to the face call it forced the Lions into their own red zone and the Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rogers took a knee twice and with just a little over a minute left the Packers kicker Mason Crosby kicked a 23 yard field goal for the 23-22.

Catch Barbara for Headlines Sports podcasts each Tuesday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Sacramento Kings podcast with Charlie O: Improved Western Conference should be a challenge for Kings this season

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Photo credit: sactownroyalty.com

On the Kings podcast with Charlie O:

#1 After dropping the first two preseason games in Mumbai the Kings found themselves last Thursday at Golden 1 Center in game three of their preseason with a 105-88 win over the Phoenix Suns.

#2 With an improved Western Conference, how challenging will it be for the Kings to make a charge in the standings?

#3 Luke Walton, the Kings head coach was pleased regarding the offense on Monday night against the Utah Jazz who moved on the Jazz 128-115.

#4 The Kings offense got some help from Buddy Hield led the Kings with 23 points in Utah Monday night will you be seeing Hield leading this season.

#5 The regular season is coming. How ready are the Kings?

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

Fast And Furious: Kings run past the Jazz 128-115 in Salt Lake City

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photo from sacbee.com: Kings guard Buddy Hield (24) attempts to steal the ball from Utah Jazz guard Emmanuel Mudiay, left, in the first half of a preseason game Monday in Salt Lake City.

By Morris Phillips

The Sacramento Kings have won just 21 regular season games in Salt Lake City… in 34 seasons.

Not good, but an impressive 128-115 exhibition win Monday at Vivint Smart Arena has the Kings feeling less apprehensive about their second regular season road game October 26 at Utah.

Buddy Hield led the Kings with 23 points, Marvin Bagley contributed 22 in 30 minutes of floor time. De’Aaron Fox departed early with a lower back injury.

The Kings played their fourth exhibition contest and both teams used the occasion to play their normal starters and top reserves. The Kings’ 78-point, first half came against defensive stalwarts Rudy Gobert and Mike Conley. The Kings played their trademark, fast pace and backed that with 14 made 3-pointers.

Sacramento’s defense was far more effective than it was in India, where the Kings dropped a pair of exhibitions allowing 130 points each time last week  Against the Jazz, the Kings allowed 48 percent shooting from the field.

But they benefitted from 20 turnovers and Utah’s poor shooting from the distance where they missed 26 of 35 attempts. The Kings battled the Jazz to a standstill on the glass (55 rebounds each) and put six players in double figures in scoring.

The Kings played without Corey Joseph, Trevor Ariza and Harry Giles.

The Kings conclude pre-season on Wednesday against Melbourne United at the Golden 1 Center.

Lakers have no trouble downing the Warriors 104-98

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Photo credit: @warriors

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Golden State Warriors met the Los Angeles Lakers for the second time in the preseason. The Lakers did not use any of their key players. Neither did the Warriors except for Steph Curry. Draymond Green and D’Angelo Russell had the night off. Warriors head coach Steve Kerr started Marquese Chriss at center, Eric Pascall and Glenn Robinson at forward, and Jordan Poole and Steph Curry started at guard, The Lakers countered with Jared Dudley at strong forward, Dwight Howard at center, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope at the other forward position, and Alex Caruso and Zach Norvell at guard. The Warriors did not play well all evening long. The Lakers won easily 104-98.

It must be noted that this was a game that both coaches, the Warriors’ Steve Kerr and the Lakers’ Frank Vogel gave playing time to guys that are fighting for spots on the 15-man roster. Some players are hoping for a two-way contract. The Warriors have to make decisions on Chriss and McKinnie. The Warriors have salary cap limitations, and one or both may be either cut or traded. The Warriors are hoping that Pascall and Poole make the team and will be playing on the second unit. The Warriors are hoping that Cauley-Stein and Kevon Looney get a chance to work with Curry, Russell, and Green before the season starts. That may be problematical as Cauley-Stein may not be healed by the time the season begins.

The Lakers led from start to finish. Both teams shot poorly for the first six minutes of the game. The Lakers played better and finished the first quarter with a 28-17 lead. The Warriors shot a miserable 18% from the floor. No one could hit a bucket. In contrast, the Lakers shot 42%. Were the Lakers playing great defense? Maybe. Were the Warriors out of sync? Definitely.

The Warriors improved in the second quarter. It was not enough to catch the Lakers, but they kept on shooting. The Warriors outscored LA by four to finish the first half trailing by seven 55-48. Steph Curry led the team with 14. Damian Lee and Alfonzo McKinnie each had 7. Marquese Chriss was a bright spot with six points and six boards. Zach Norvell led the Lakers with 12. Former Warrior JaVale McGee tormented his old mates with 9 points, and he had a couple of blocked shots as well.

The Lakers increased the lead to 17 in the third period 79-62. The Warriors Jacob Evans and Damian led the Warriors in scoring. Things changed in the fourth quarter. The Warriors led by Chriss and Poole cut the lead to three 97-94 after Poole hit a three. The Lakers regrouped and went on a 7-4 run to finish the game with a final score of 104-98.

Game Notes: The Lakers rested LeBron James and Kyle Kuzma. Anthony Davis was out with a sprained right thumb. Rajon Rondo, Danny Green, Quinn Cook, Troy Daniels, and Talen Horton-Tucker. The Warriors rested Draymond Green and D’Angelo Russell. Willie Cauley-Stein, Alec Burks, Kevon Looney, and Alen Smailagic were not available due to injury.

Up Next: The Warriors meet the Lakers again Wednesday night in Los Angeles. They return home to face the Lakers at the Chase Center Friday night for the final preseason game.

Sacramento Kings game wrap: Excellent defense and Fox’s offense help in Kings’ 105-88 win

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photo from sacbee.com: Sacramento Kings forward Marvin Bagley III (35) blocks a shot against the Dallas Mavericks forward Maximilian Kleber (42) on March 21, 2019 in this Sac Bee file photo.

By London Marq

SACRAMENTO — The Sacramento Kings exist in an awkward space within the NBA right now. After narrowly missing the playoffs last season, their young core is hoping to make stride forward and become a better team.

The only problem — the Western Conference is vastly improved — meaning that if the Kings hope to be playoff relevant, they will have to prove they are much better than they were six months ago. Through the first two games of the preseason, the Kings are 0-2.

On the surface, it may seem like a bad omen but there are factors to consider. Those first two games were played a world away in India so it’s hard to judge the effectiveness of the team playing with so many travel miles behind them. They are also under direction from new head coach Luke Walton, so the team may be finding ways to acclimate themselves to the new strategies being implemented. All in all, the two losses are no reason to panic.

On Thursday night, the Kings welcomed the Phoenix Suns into the Golden 1 Center for their first home preseason game. Behind some excellent defense and 18 points from De’Aaron Fox the Kings would walk away with the win, 105-88.

Defense has to be a point of emphasis for Sacramento if they hope to compete for a playoff spot in the west. If tonight was any indication of the Kings’ focus on defense, then it bodes well.

Sacramento held the Suns to just 16 points in the first quarter and 18 in the fourth while outscoring their opponents in threw of the four frames. Last year, the offense was one of the most potent in the league and the Kings were one of the most exciting teams to watch.

If they can match that with consistent effort on defense, they will compete. While one preseason win is nothing to write home about, the Kings should be using this time to gel as a unit and acclimate themselves to their new coach while playing at full speed. The Kings will face a challenge in their final preseason match versus the Utah Jazz. The regular season is just around the bend, and the Kings will have a lot to prove if they want to be considered as a contender.

London Marq is a Sacramento Kings beat writer for http://www.sportsradioservice.com