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The Warriors punish the Hornets 137-90

Published on March 31, 2019April 1, 2019 by rxsluggerLeave a comment

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Golden State Warriors, in a dogfight with the Denver Nuggets for the best record in the Western Conference, and still seething from the officiating in the game against the Timberwolves, sent the Hornets down to their worst loss of the season 137-90. When the W’s played the Hornets in Charlotte earlier this year, the contest was close until the fourth quarter when the W’s shut down Kemba Walker and were able to pull away for the win.

The Warriors made sure that they would be in control as they led from start to finish. The W’s ended the first half leading 71-49. It was the fifteenth time this season that they put 70 or more points on the board in the first 24 minutes of the game. They continued to throttle the Hornet offense in the second half as they made sure that the Hornets would not be able to make a comeback.

The Warriors outscored the Hornets 34-23 in the third period and 32-18 in the fourth. The Warriors were able to rest their regulars, and the bench players were able to get significant minutes as the end of the regular season is nearing. The Warriors win 137-90.

Game Notes- DeMarcus Cousins was ejected from the game with 6:09 to play in the second quarter. The referees charged Cousins with a flagrant 2 foul when he hit Willy Herangomez’ head with a closed fist. Cousins scored 8 points and had 3 blocked shots.

Steph Curry connected on five threes in eight tries. For Steph, it was the eighth consecutive game that he made at least five threes. He now has made 335 3s which is second only to the 402 that he made during the 2015-2015 season.

Draymond Green has 15 technical fouls to his credit so far this year. If he gets one more, he will receive an automatic one-game suspension. He reached fifteen last year but made it to the end of the regular season without getting one. Hopefully, he will not get another in the six games left.

Hernangomez led Charlotte with 22 points. None of the Hornets’ starters were in double figures. The W’s held Kemba Walker, Miles Bridges, and Dwayne Bacon to nine points each. The other Hornet in double figures was Frank Kaminsky with 10.

With the win and Denver’s loss to the Washington Wizards, the W’s have a one-game lead in the race for the Western Conference crown. The Warriors clinched the Pacific Division for the fifth year in a row. Should they beat Denver on Tuesday night, the Warriors will have a two-game edge with five to play, and the win probably would guarantee them home-court advantage throughout the Western Conference playoffs.

The Warriors had six players in double-figures. Steph led the team with 25. Klay Thompson had 24 and Klay made 6 threes. Quinn Cook, coming off the bench and getting playing time, knocked down 21. Cook connected on 5 threes. Jerebko had, Durant 11, and Draymond Green 10.

The Warriors shot 60.25 from the floor. They made 21 threes in 33 attempts. They outrebounded Charlotte 50-28. They recorded 41 assists on 53 made baskets. On defense, they had 8 steals and 10 blocked shots.

The game against the Nuggets on Tuesday is going to be a very important game for both teams. With a win, the W’s will have a two-game lead. If they lose, the teams will be tied for the best record. If the teams finish tied for the best record, various tiebreakers will be used to determine which squad gets to be the number one seed.

Game time Tuesday night is at 7:30. The A’s and Boston Red Sox are also playing and the parking lots will fill up early.

Kings beat Spurs on the road for the first time since 2012–113-106

Published on March 31, 2019April 1, 2019 by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

Photo credit: @NBA

By: Jeremiah Salmonson

Sunday’s matchup featured the Sacramento Kings and the San Antonio Spurs at the AT&T Center. The Spurs have guaranteed themselves a playoff spot, and the Kings were recently eliminated from contention. Sunday’s game for the Kings was the last stop on a five-game road swing taking them through Los Angeles, Dallas, New Orleans, Houston, and San Antonio. The tip-off was set for 4:00 PM PST.

In the first quarter, the Kings showed what appeared to be a lack of energy, which is understandable considering this game was the second night of a back-to-back. With seven minutes having already passed in the first, the Kings were down by 10 with the score being 21-11. At this point, the game was looking close to getting out of hand. LaMarcus Aldridge led all scorers in the first with a terrorizing 18 points. However, the Kings weren’t gonna go away quietly in the first. They battled back to make it a two-point game after the first quarter 30-28.

In the second quarter, the Kings and Spurs traded baskets. It’d prove to be one of the more entertaining quarters this year. Buddy Hield led the Kings in scoring in the first half dropping 11 points with Fox behind him with nine points. For the Spurs, LaMarcus Aldridge had 20 points with Rudy Gay behind him with 12. Going into halftime, the Kings managed to take a slim lead 58-57 into the locker room.

The third quarter was filled with excitement and back and forth between the Kings and Spurs. The Kings scored 31 points compared to the Spurs’ 30. This gave the Kings a two-point 89-87 lead going into the last 12 minutes. In the third, the fiery Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich was ejected after an out-of-bounds call going against the Spurs. Popovich was immediately T’d up following the play then proceeded to go onto the court and was dealt the ejection. It was a entertaining turn of events as the teams continued to put on a show. Leading the way through three quarters for the Kings were Buddy Hield with 24 points, Harrison Barnes with 11 points, and Willie Cauley-Stein with 10 points.

Going into the fourth quarter, the Kings seemed confident and that was exactly what the Kings played with. The Kings started the fourth by scoring the first nine points to take a 98-87 lead. From there, the Spurs made a run to tie the game, and it was a back-and-forth affair until the final minute of the game. The Kings managed to get a few key defensive stops paired with some makes to beat the Spurs 113-106. It was a great game for a young Kings team that was eliminated from playoff contention just the night before.

NOTES: Kings swept the season series for the first time ever against the Spurs. The Kings beat the Spurs at home for the first time since 2012.

UP NEXT: The Kings head home to host the Houston Rockets Tuesday at 7:00 PM PST.

Rockets knock Kings out of playoffs with 119-108 win

Published on March 30, 2019March 30, 2019 by jeremy2878Leave a comment

Photo credit: @TSN_Sports

By Jeremy Harness

The Sacramento Kings saw their slim playoff hopes officially dashed on Saturday, as they were downed by the Houston Rockets, 119-108, inside of Houston’s Toyota Center.

The team has been feisty all season and held on to their postseason chances as long as they could, even on Saturday. Sacramento entered the fourth quarter with the lead, but they were outscored 28-15 in the final stanza as their fate was sealed.

The Rockets, meanwhile, are still fighting for one of the top spots in the Western Conference postseason picture to get home-court advantage for at least the first round. Houston is currently in the third spot with a 49-28 mark, three games behind Golden State and Denver, who are tied for the top spot in the West.

James Harden recorded a triple-double in spearheading the win, scoring 50 points while making 13 of his 31 shots in the process, to go along with 11 rebounds and 10 assists.

Clint Capela put up 24 points while going 10-of-13 from the field and also pulled down 15 rebounds, while Chris Paul had 22 points and five assists.

The Kings had a couple of guys get a double-double in the loss. Marvin Bagley III had 20 points and 12 rebounds – seven of those coming on the offensive end – while making 10 of his 20 field-goal attempts. Meanwhile, De’Aaron Fox scored 18 points and handed out 10 assists, while making four of his seven 3-point attempts.

Bogdan Bogdanovic just missed a triple-double while coming off the bench, leading the Kings with 24 points while pulling down nine rebounds with eight assists.

The Kings next play the San Antonio Spurs on Sunday at 4:00 pm PT.

Warriors drop a thriller in OT to the Timberwolves 131-130

Published on March 29, 2019March 29, 2019 by rxsluggerLeave a comment

Photo credit: @warriors

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Golden State Warriors, had they beaten the Minnesota Timberwolves, would have had a two-game edge of the Denver Nuggets in the race for the best record in the Western Conference. The Timberwolves upset the Warriors’ applecart at the Target Center in the Target Center Friday with a 131-130 overtime win.

The Nuggets beat the Oklahoma City Thunder to move into a first-place tie with the Warriors. The Warriors and the Nuggets meet Tuesday night at Oracle. The Warriors have the season edge 2-1, and a win would clinch the crown.

The Warriors led 68-54 at the half, and it looked good for them. The Warriors usually own the third quarter, but the T-Wolves turned the tables on Golden State and outscored them 32-18 in the period to tie the game heading into the fourth quarter. Each team scored 29 in the fourth, and the game went to overtime tied at 115.

The T-Wolves grabbed a nine-point lead with one minute and 41 seconds left in the overtime period when Curry went on a tear and hit three threes, and the Warriors went on an 11-2 run to tie the game at 130 with 0.5 seconds left on the clock.

All the Warriors had to do was make sure that no one fouled a T-Wolves player on the inbounds pass, and the game would go to a second overtime, but that did not happen as Kevin Durant fouled Karl-Anthony Towns, who made the first free throw. He missed the second and time, and the Warriors’ luck ran out. The Timberwolves won 131-130.

Game Notes and Stats: The Warriors are now tied with Denver with an identical record of 51-24. The Warrior play the Charlotte Hornets at Oracle Arena on Sunday, and then face the Nuggets on Tuesday.

Steph Curry led the Warriors with 37 points. Kevin Durant had a double-double with 23 points and 12 rebounds. DeMarcus Cousins had 16 points before fouling out in the fourth quarter. Klay Thompson had 20 points. Andre Iguodala had 14 points coming off the bench. The rest of the Warriors’ bench contributed just 11 points.

The Timberwolves had eight players in double-figures. The T-Wolves’ bench had three players: Anthony Tolliver with 14 points, Gorgui Dieng 14 points, and Jerryd Bayless with 17 points. In Fact, the T-Wolves’ bench outscored the Warriors’ bench 49-25.

Up Next: The Warriors have seven games, four at home and three on the road. The only team with a winning record is Denver. They play the Charlotte Hornets, Cleveland Cavaliers, and Clippers at home. Then, they face the Lakers, New Orleans Pelicans, and Memphis Grizzlies on the road.

Kings fall hard in the “Big Easy” as Pels pull out a last-second 121-118 win

Published on March 29, 2019 by Charlie O. MalloneeLeave a comment

NO starting 5 — Kings starting five in New Orleans Photo @SacramentoKings

by Charlie O. Mallonee

The Sacramento Kings are now on the verge of mathematical elimination from playoff contention after losing to the Pelicans in New Orleans 121-118 on Thursday night. The Kings chances of making the playoffs were remote, but now, they are non-existent.

The Kings are just 14-23 on the road after the loss in New Orleans. That really is not surprising for a young team like Sacramento. Learning to win on the road in the NBA is one of the most difficult lessons to learn for a young team.

The biggest lead in this game was nine points by the Pelicans. The game was tied 13 times and the lead changed between the teams 15 times. This was the very essence of what is defined as a “close game”.

Julius Randle put a driving layup through the basket for the Pelicans with 8.7-seconds to go in the game to give New Orleans a 121-118 lead.

Buddy Hield took a potential game-tying 3-point shot from 28 feet away from the basket with 4.0-seconds remaining on the clock. Unfortunately for the Kings, the shot was not good and the Kings would lose by three points.

The loss dropped the Kings record to 37-38 on the year with seven games to play on the schedule. The Pelicans are now 32-45 for the season.

Key Performers in the Game

NO Kosta — Koufos drives on Randle Photo @NBCS

Kings

Buddy Hield – the Pels former first-round draft pick – was Sacramento’s leading scorer with 27 points. He shot 11-for-21 from the floor but went just 1-for-8 from 3-point range.
De’Aaron Fox recorded a double-double by scoring 25 points and dishing out 12 assists. Fox hit 11-of-22 his shots from the field. He also grabbed five rebounds, made three steals, and had one blocked shot.
Willie Cauley-Stein also put a double-double in the book by scoring 18 points and hauling in 12 rebounds. WCS who has struggled at the charity stripe went 4-for-4 at the free throw line on Thursday night.
Bogdon Bogdanovic scored 14 points in just over 18 minutes of playing time.
Marvin Bagley III and Harrison Barnes each scored 10 points.
The Kings were outscored in the paint 74-64.
The Pelicans won the battle of 2nd chance points 14-9.

New Orleans

Julius Randle was the leading scorer in the contest with 34 points. He hit 12-of-24 shots from the floor and went a perfect 7-for-7 from the free throw line. Randle made it a double-double game by pulling down 10 rebounds.
Christian Wood came off the bench and scored 25 points in just over 27 minutes on the floor. He sank 11 of his 16 shots.
Elfrid Payton put 16 points up on the board shooting 50-percent from the floor (7/14). He also recorded nine rebounds.
Anthony Davis did not play due to “lower back spasms”.

Up Next

The Kings traveled to Houston after the game and will take on the Rockets on Saturday night.

The Pelicans will host the “hapless” LA Lakers on Sunday.

Warriors take down the Grizzlies 118-103

Published on March 27, 2019 by rxsluggerLeave a comment

Photo credit: @warriors

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Golden State Warriors traveled to Memphis to face the Memphis Grizzlies Wednesday night. The Grizzlies, coached by J.B. Bickerstaff, had a record of 30-44 before the start of the game and were not going to make the playoffs this year. The Grizzlies traded their star center Marc Gasol to the Toronto Raptors for Jonas Valanciunas. Valanciunas, who did not playing much in Toronto, found a new home in Memphis. The Grizzlies have played well and beaten several postseason-bound teams. The Warriors, who were embarrassed at home by the lowly Phoenix Suns, did not want to suffer the same fate at the hands of the Grizzlies. The Warriors entered the game with a record of 50-23 and are in a race to win home court advantage in the Western Conference.

The two teams played a very entertaining first quarter. The Warriors led 30-27 late in the period when Memphis went on a 10-1 run the finish the period 37-31. Former Warrior Justin Holiday connected on a three-pointer as the buzzer sounded.

Memphis increased the lead to 41-31 before the Warriors started clawing their way back. Golden State’s second unit of Quinn Cook, Shaun Livingston, Andre Iguodala, DeMarcus Cousins, and Klay Thompson knocked down threes and the Warriors tied the game at 50. The Warriors continued to play well and finished the first half 66-60.

The Warriors were hot from the floor. They were 26-for-41 from the floor and made 11 three-point shots. Curry and Kevin Durant led the team with 14 each, Quinn Cook made three threes for nine points total. The Grizzlies’ Jonas Valanciunas had 16 and Michael Conley added 11. Conley passed M. Gasol to become the Grizzlies’ leading scorer in franchise history.

The Grizzlies used a 8-2 run in the third quarter to tie the game. Klay Thompson made a three and Steph knocked down two more threes to put the Warriors ahead 77-68. The Grizzlies refused to quit and went on an 11-2 run to trail 85-84. Curry made two free throws and Alfonzo McKinney hit a deuce to finish the quarter leading 89-84.

The Grizzlies continued to fight back and briefly held a 92-91 lead. The Warriors took control of the game behind the play of Durant, Livingston, Cousins, and Draymond Green. The Warriors won 118-103.

Game Notes and Stats: Kevin Durant had the best shooting night of his career. He missed just one shot from the floor. He made 12 buckets in 13 tries. He was 3-for-3 in three-point shots. In addition, he had nine boards and six assists.

Curry had a double-double with 28 points and led the team with 10 rebounds,

Cousins scored 16, while Klay Thompson had 13.

Memphis’ leading scorers were Jonas Valanciunas with 27 points, Michael Conley with 22 points, Bruno Caboclo with points 17, and Chandler Parsons with 13 points.

Up Next: The Warriors meet the Minnesota Timberwolves in Minneapolis Friday at 5:00 pm.

Headline Sports podcast with London Marq: Avenatti says that Nike paid college athletes; Kings may not make playoffs, but still not giving up games; plus more

Published on March 27, 2019March 27, 2019 by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

Photo credit: @nypost

On Headline Sports with London:

#1 Michael Avenantti, former attorney for Stormy Daniels, has said this week that Nike had paid student-athletes at various colleges. Avenatti has been charged for extortion as he is accused of trying to extort up to $25 million from Nike.

#2 After the feds have made charges against Avenatti for the extortion charge, Avenatti–some 24 hours later–made the claim that Nike was paying its Nike Elite Basketball Youth Program bribes in college basketball.

#3 This is a Sacramento Kings basketball team that never gives up. They lost a close five-point game on Sunday to the Los Angeles Lakers, but turned around on Tuesday night and beat the Dallas Mavericks in Dallas 125-121. They’ve got a little something in the tank.

#4. The Los Angeles Kings’ Drew Doughty has questioned whether the San Jose Sharks Brent Burns should have won the Norris Trophy, saying Burns gets beat three times a game and that the Calgary Flames’ Mark Giordano should get the award. Burns leads the NHL defensemen with 77 points to Giordano, who’s in second with 72.

#5 Baseball season opens on Thursday. The Oakland A’s already opened their season in Tokyo last week and are playing their first regular game stateside against the Los Angeles Angels. How much does this take out of a team with the jet lag playing two exhibitions and two regular games then playing in Oakland just one week later?

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

Kings sweep season series with Mavericks with a 125-121 win on Tuesday night

Published on March 27, 2019 by Charlie O. MalloneeLeave a comment

Mavs starters

by Charlie O. Mallonee

The Sacramento Kings trailed the Mavericks by eight points with 4:48 to in the game on Tuesday night in Dallas. The Kings then tied the game at 116-all with 1:33 remaining in the contest. Sacramento then took the lead on a Buddy Hield 25-foot 3-point jump shot, and the Kings never looked back. They won the game 125-121.

The victory evened the Kings record at 37-37 for the season. That is a 10 win improvement over the 2017-18 season with eight games to go on the schedule. That means the Kings could win 40 games which would be an incredible 13-game improvement over the previous year.

No reporter or expert would have predicted that the Sacramento Kings would be in a position to win 40 games prior to the beginning of the season. This season has been nothing short of incredible.

Mavs Fox — Fox was the Kings leading scorer Photo: @SacramentoKings

Why did the Kings win the game?

They shot 50.6-percent (44/87) overall for the game. The Kings hit five more field goals than the Mavericks.
Sacramento hit 10-of-23 (43.5%) 3-point attempts.
The Kings were spectacular from the free throw line. They converted 27-of-32 (84.4%) shots from the charity stripe. The number of opportunities and percentage of conversions represents one of their best performances of the season.
SAC took great care of the ball. They turned it over just seven times which resulted in just 11 Dallas points.

Top Performances

Mavs Hield — Hield helped the Kings late in the game Photo: @SacramentoKings

Kings

De’Aaron Fox was the Kings leading scorer with 23 points. His key contribution came at the free throw line where he hit 11-of-12 shots. Fox also dished out eight dimes.
Harrison Barnes made his first trip back to Dallas since being traded. The Mavs honored him with a tribute video during the second quarter. Barnes put up 18 points shooting 7-for-16 from the field and hitting 3-of-5 from 3-point land.
Buddy Hield saved his best until late in the game. Hield scored 17 points. He went a perfect 6-for-6 from the charity stripe. Hield also grabbed five rebounds.
Willie Cauley-Stein put 16 points in the book. He went 7-for-8 from the floor in the contest. He also hauled in seven rebounds.
Marvin Bagley III and Bogdan Bogdanovic each scored 14 points versus the Mavs.

Dallas

Luka Doncic was the high-scorer in the game with 28 points. He went just 9-for-20 from the floor but hit 10-of-11 from the free throw line. Doncic made it a double-double by recording 12 rebounds.
Dwight Powell put a double-double in the book by scoring 21 points and grabbing 13 rebounds. He hit 6-of-7 shots from the field and went 9-for-11 from the charity stripe.
Maxi Kleber came off the bench to record 17 points. He went 6-for-10 from the field including four 3-point baskets.

Up next

The Kings travel on to New Orleans where they will play the Pelicans on Thursday night.

The Mavericks travel to Miami where they will face the Heat on Thursday.

Sacramento Kings podcast with Charlie O: No escape in trying to beat the Lakers; Kings battle Mavs for 125-121 win

Published on March 26, 2019March 26, 2019 by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

Photo credit: @Covers

On the Kings podcast with Charlie O:

#1 Charlie talks about the Kings’ last game in Los Angeles on Sunday in a tough loss to the Lakers 111-106.

#2 The Kings defense seemed to struggle in the early first quarter, putting up only 20 points and allowing 22.

#3 In the second quarter, the Kings struggled with their shot, but figured it out with 29 points and the Lakers got only 26.

#4 Third quarter was another tough outing for Sacramento, the Lakers scored 39 points and in the fourth quarter. The Kings launched a comeback, scoring but falling five points short of victory.

#5 The Kings battled the Dallas Mavericks and Dirk Nowitzki Tuesday night and get the win 125-121. Charlie O sets this one up.

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