Category: NBA

The Kings pull one out of the fire as they beat the Heat 102-96 on Friday night

Published on by Charlie O. MalloneeLeave a comment
Heat Jersey exchange
DWade’s last game in Sac included a jersey exchange Photo: @SacramentoKings

by Charlie O. Mallonee

Kings head coach Dave Joerger summarized the game on Friday night with one word — discombobulated! With two new players in the rotation and two key players traded to other teams, getting into sync was difficult for the Kings on Friday night.

Sacramento took their first lead of the contest with 1:21 to go in the game. Buddy Hield converted the second of two free throw opportunities to give his team a 97-96 lead. The Kings scored the final six points of the game to make the final score 102-96 to give them their 29th victory of the season.

Both teams had shooting and turnover problems

The Kings struggled early in the with their shooting. In the first period, they shot just 24.0-percent (6/25) overall and hit just 2-of-7 (28.6%) of their 3-point field goals. Sacramento also turned the ball over five times.

The Kings’ shooting percentage improved from there. Although it never was spectacular– 41.1–percent for the game. They cut down on the turnovers, finishing with 14 that resulted in 11 Miami points.

Miami’s poorest shooting streak came in the fourth quarter. The Heat shot just 25-percent (6/24) from the floor and hit just 1-of-9 (11.1%) from downtown. They turned the ball over six times in the final period that became nine Sacramento points.

The Heat shot 43.2-percent for the game and recorded 20 turnovers (22 SAC points). Those turnovers led to their demise.

Dave Joerger was happy to come away with a win

Harrison Barnes who just joined the Kings made his first start on Friday night

Barnes who was traded to the Kings from the Dallas Mavericks started in his first game in a Sacramento uniform. The veteran forward scored 12 points, grabbed seven rebounds, and dished out two assists in just over 36 minutes of playing time. Barnes went 2-for-4 from 3-point distance and was a perfect 4-for-4 at the free throw line.

Buddy Hield had an important night on the floor and in the huddles

Buddy Hield posted a game-high 23 points in the Kings winning effort. He hit 8-of-16 shots overall and went 4-for-9 from behind the 3-point arc. Hield converted 3-of-4 opportunities at the free throw line.

Other Kings contributors

Heat huddle
Kings celebrate the win over the Heat Photo: @SacramentoKings
  • Bogdan Bogdanovic scored 16 points, hauled in five rebounds, made four assists and added two assists.
  • De’Aaron Fox added 12 points, four steals, and three assists.
  • Harry Giles III was very productive in his 16-plus minutes of playing time. He booked 10 points, three rebounds, and one steal.
  • Coach Joerger was quick to point out that Willie Cauley-Stein had a very strong game on defense to go with his seven points, seven rebounds, and three blocked shots.
  • Newcomer Alec Burks recorded nine points in just over 14-minutes on the floor. He also had four rebounds, one assist, and one steal.

More Sacramento Team Stats

Heat final score

  • The Kings had a good night at the charity stripe as they hit 19-of-25 (76%) opportunities. Both the number of attempts and conversion percentage showed improvement.
  • The Kings were outrebounded 49-46.
  • SAC distributed 18 assists and turned the ball over 14 times.
  • The team had a total of 11 steals and five blocked shots.
  • The Heat outscored the Kings 50-48 in the paint.
  • The Kings won the battle of 2nd Chance Points 17-6.
  • Sacramento also won with speed scoring 19 Fast Break Points to 8 for Miami.

The best performances by the Heat

  • Josh Richardson scored a team-high 21 points to go with four assists and three blocked shots.
  • Hassan Whiteside was especially productive scoring in the first half and scored 17 points to with 19 rebounds in the game.
  • Dwyane Wade overcame a nasty fall in the first quarter to go on and score 15 points and dish out four assists in his final appearance in Sacramento.

Up next

The Kings (29-26) will have Saturday off – no practice. They will return to action on Sunday afternoon when the Phoenix “Tankers” — I mean Suns — come to Sacramento to wrap up the longest homestand of the season.

The Heat (25-28) have a date with Golden State Warriors on Sunday.

Warriors struggle, but manage to beat the Suns 117-107

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by Jerry Feitelberg

It was the kind of game that the Warriors make their fans crazy. They were playing the lowly Phoenix Suns in Phoenix Friday night. Everyone thought the Warriors would walk right over the Suns as they had the best scorer, Devon Booker, unavailable. T.J.Warren and De’Anthony Melton did not play either. Someone forget to tell the Suns that they could not compete against the World Champions. The Warriors had their hands full with the Suns and finally put the game out of reach late in the fourth quarter as they won 117-107.

The Suns took it the Warriors in the first 12 minutes of the game. The Warriors were making shots, and committing turnovers and shooting poorly. The Suns led 26-9 before Kevin Durant helped lead the W’s comeback. The Warriors finished the quarter trailing 31-26. In the second quarter, the Warriors outscored the Suns 34-22 and finished the first half with a seven-point lead 60-53.

The Suns entered the third quarter knowing that the Warriors usually have their way against their opponent. The Warriors were outscored 32-22 and Phoenix finished the third period leading 85-82. Steph Curry was having a tough night. He was 2 for 12 and was 1 for 8 in three-point attempts. Warrior fans were hoping Steph would snap out of his slump and he did just that in the fourth quarter. Steph was 4 for 5 from the floor, and he made two-three pointers in three attempts. The Warriors went on a 13-0 to start the quarter. The Suns cut the lead to 101-98. Steph came back with a three, and the Warriors were on their way to another victory.

Game Notes and stats- The Warriors are now 39-15 for the season. The Suns fall to 11-46. Draymond Green was ejected from the game after he picked up his second technical foul between the third and fourth quarters.

Klay Thompson led the W’s with 25 points. Durant had 21, Steph 20, DeMarcus Cousins 18, and Draymond Green 13. The Warriors’ bench added 20 points. The Suns had four players in double figures: Kelly Oubre, Jr. knocked down 25, and the number one pick of the 2018 NBA Draft, Deandre Ayton tallied 23. Josh Jackson and Mikal Bridges each had 19.

“They totally outplayed us all night,” Golden State coach Steve Kerr said. “The only reason we won is because we have a lot more talent, obviously.”

The Warriors shot 50.6% from the floor and held Phoenix to 38.6 %. The Warriors recorded 30 assists and were able to move the ball well. On Defense, the W’s had 5 steals and 9 blocks.

The W’s return home to Oracle Arena to face the Miami Heat Sunday. Game time is at 5:30 pm.

NBA podcast with Jerry Feitelberg: Pacers handle Clips 119-92; Magic’s Ross get 32 points in win; Raptors’ Siakam gets career-high point total

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Photo credit: @NBA

On the NBA podcast with Jerry Feitelberg:

#1 The Indiana Pacers (36-19) got a 119-92 win past the LA Clippers (30-26). Bojan Bogdanovic led the Pacers with 29 points.

#2 The Orlando Magic (23-32) got a win over the Minnesota Timberwolves (25-29) 122-112. The Magic’s Terrence Ross got 32 points.

#3 The Toronto Raptors (40-16) over the Atlanta Hawks (18-36). The Raptors Pascal Siakam got 33 points to lead all scorers.

#4 The LA Lakers (28-27) got a 129-128 win over the Boston Celtics (35-20). It was just like an old rivalry between these two NBA teams. The Lakers’ LeBron James led with 28 points and the Celtics’ Kyrie Irving had 24.

Jerry does the NBA podcast each week at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Updated story with video: Kings lose 2 players, get 2 new players and lose to the Rockets 127-101

Published on by Charlie O. MalloneeLeave a comment
DSC06866
Bogdan Bogdanovic scores 2 of his 13 points Photo: Jordan Chapin SportsRadioService.com

By Charlie O. Mallonee

Updated with interviews and trade information: Sacramento — It was a wild and crazy Wednesday night for the Sacramento Kings. Two hours before game time, the Kings completed a three-team with the Houston Rockets and the Cleveland Cavaliers that sent Iman Shumpert to the Rockets. The Kings will receive shooting Alex Burks from the Cavaliers.

Then just as the game was getting underway, everyone’s Twitter feeds on press row went crazy as word leaked out that the Kings had just completed another trade that sent Justin Jackson and Zach Randolph to the Mavericks for former Golden State Warriors forward Harrison Barnes.

Charlie O picks the story up from there:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Harden hits a 3-ball that becomes a 4-point play when Bogi is called for a foul Photo: Jordan Chapin SportsRadioService.com

Buddy Hield on the trades and his view of things going forward

 

 

 

De’Aaron Fox is ready to carry on following the trades

 

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Harry Giles III puts a floater up over Kenneth Faried on Wednesday night Photo: Jordan Chapin SportsRadioService.com

The trades 

H. Barnes
Harrison Barnes returns to Northern California

The big deal of the night happened just as the game began on Wednesday night and the Mavericks game was in progress with Harrison Barnes on the floor. The Kings sent forward Justin Jackson and Zach Randolph to Dallas in exchange for the former Golden State forward.

Barnes will become an Unrestricted Free Agent in 2020. He is slated to make just over $25-million in 2019-20 but that is a player option contract which means Barnes could be a rental or an important piece for next season.

The Mavericks get a developing small forward in Justin Jackson who has seen a great deal of playing against the “best of the west” because the Kings needed his talents on the floor quickly. He will be a fine second-unit player for Dallas.

Zach Randolph is a part of the deal to make the money work under NBA guidelines and because he is an expiring contract. Randolph is not likely to wear a Dallas uniform.

Burks
Alec Burks is the newest member of the Sacramento Kings

The trade that brings Alec Burks to Sacramento is more complicated than the Barnes trade. It is a three-team trade involving the Kings, Rockets, and Cavaliers.

The irony is that it was a walk across the arena to the other locker room deal as Iman Shumpert was traded by the Kings to the Houston Rockets who Sacramento hosted last night. That really did not happen because of NBA rules that require trades be “blessed” by the league office before they can be finalized. Shumpert actually said goodbye to his teammates and left the Golden 1 Center before the game began Wednesday night.

The Kings received Burks who is an eight-year veteran of “the Association”. He has averaged 11.6 points, 5.5 points, and 2.9 assists per game in 34 contests for the Cavs this season. Burks also played for the Utah Jazz. Sacramento received a 2020 second-round draft pick as a part of the trade package.

Cleveland receives guard Brandon Knight, “local product” and former Kings draft pick Marquese Chriss, and a 2019 lottery protected first-round draft pick from Houston.

Cleveland sent guards Nik Stauskas (a former King) and Wade Baldwin who they acquired from Portland for Rodney Hood to the Rockets to complete the deal.

Trades in the NBA are never easy.

Up next

All of the players involved in the trades have 48 hours to report to their new teams. The Kings host the Miami Heat on Friday night when Dwyane Wade will make his final visit to Sacramento as a player. There is a chance that Burks and Barnes could play in that game, but it is more likely they will be playing on Sunday when Phoenix comes to town.

The Rockets returned to Houston after the game on Wednesday. They will play the OKC Thunder on Saturday night on national television. That should be enough for all of the new Rockets to report and be available to play in that game.

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The “old guard” and the “new guard” Photo: Jordan Chapin SportsRadioService.com

Warriors blow out the depleted Spurs 141-102

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Photo credit: @warriors

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Golden State Warriors, returning to action after having three days off, blew out the San Antonio Spurs Wednesday night 141-102 at Oracle Arena. The Spurs gave their two leading scorers LaMarcus Aldridge and DeMar DeRozan the night off. Another star Spur player, DeJounte Murray was out with a knee injury and not available. Nonetheless, any Greg Popovich San Antonio Spur team cannot be taken lightly, and for the first 22 minutes of the first half the Spurs gave the Warriors quite a tussle.

The first quarter was quite competitive as both teams were making shots. The Warriors attack was led by Kevin Durant’s 15 points. The Warriors finished the quarter with a slim two-point advantage 33-31. In the second quarter, the Warriors made some adjustments. Head coach Steve Kerr had the Warriors play better on defense, and the Warriors had DeMarcus Cousins position himself closer to the basket. The Spurs’ defensive strategy was to run Steph Curry and Klay Thompson off the three-point line. The Warriors started the second quarter with a 9-0 run. The Spurs fought back and trailed by three points 53-50, but the Warriors went on a 13-2 run to close out the first half leading 64-52. Kevin Durant led the Warriors with 17, Klay Thompson 16, and Steph Curry had 9. DeMarcus Cousins had 5, and Andre Iguodala added 8. Rudy Gay led the Spurs with 13.

The Warriors blew open the game in the third quarter. They outscored the Sours 49-31 in the period. The Warriors, at one point in the quarter, were 17 for 18 from the floor. They had 16 assists on 17 made baskets, and that was a record for assists in a quarter. They led 115-83 heading into the fourth quarter.

Steve Kerr had all of his five starters sitting on the bench. Quinn Cook, Jonas Jerebko, Jordan Bell, Kevon Looney, and Shaun Livingston were on the floor for the Warriors. The bench outscored the Spurs 26-19 in the quarter, and the Warriors won by a final of 141-102.

Game Notes- The Warriors improved to 38-15 and are in first place in the Western Conference. The win was the 13th in the last 14 games. San Antonio drops to 32-24.

It was the 14th 40-point quarter of the season for Golden State. The W’s had 50 fast break points. They outrebounded the Spurs 52-30, and they recorded 42 assists on 55 made baskets. The Warriors shot 58% from the floor and held San Antonio to 43.2% On defense, the Warriors had 14 steals and 5 blocks.

Klay Thompson led the team with 26. Kevin Durant had 23, Steph Curry 19, DeMarcus Cousins 15, Andre Iguodala 11, and Kevon Looney 10.

Paddy Mills, who played his college ball at St. Mary’s in Orinda, paced the Spurs with 16. Rudy Gay scored two points in the second half and finished with 15. Dante Cunningham had 11, and Bryn Forbes had 10.

Up Next: The Warriors meet the Phoenix Suns Friday night in Phoenix. Game time will be at 6 pm. The Warriors then face the Miami Heat at Oracle Arena on Sunday at 5:30 pm.

Sacramento Kings Part 2 podcast with Charlie O: It’s going to be a very tough game with Harden in Sacramento on Wednesday

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Photo credit: @SacramentoKings

On the Sacramento Kings Part 2 podcast with Charlie O:

#4 The Kings have three games left on this home schedule. What are you projecting for them in those games?

Charlie O does Sacramento Kings basketball podcasts each Tuesday at sportsradioservice.com

Sacramento Kings Part 1 podcast with Charlie O: Kings holding court with seven straight home wins

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Photo credit: @imanshumpert

On the Sacramento Kings Part 1 podcast with Charlie O:

#1 The Sacramento Kings who beat the San Antonio Spurs on Monday night 127-112 and are now 28-25 and just a game and a half out of the final playoff spot.

#2 Sacramento has won three games in a row and seven straight at Golden One Center. They are 6-4 over their last ten games. What is making the difference in this team?

#3 The trade deadline is Thursday February 7th at 12 noon Pacific. Will the Kings make a deal?

Charlie O does Sacramento Kings basketball podcasts each Tuesday at sportsradioservice.com

 

 

Golden State Warriors podcast with David Zizmor: Spurs and Popovich to face Warriors on Wednesday night at Oracle

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sfgate.com file photo: Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr (left) and San Antonio Spurs head coach Greg Popovich confer before a meeting between both teams back on Monday January 25th

On the Warriors podcast with David:

The Golden State Warriors, who played their last game against the Los Angeles Lakers at Oracle Arena on Saturday in a 115-101 victory, got offensive help from Klay Thompson, who led with 28 points, and the Warriors got the win without having to face the Lakers’ LeBron James.

Greg Popovich and the San Antonio Spurs (32-23) come in sixth in the Western Conference. The Spurs with top scorers DeMar DeRozan (21.3 ppg) and LaMarcus Aldredge (21.2 ppg). In the two meetings this season between the two teams, the Warriors are 2-0.

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

Lucky Seven: Kings home win streak continues in wire-to-wire win over the Spurs

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By Morris Phillips

SACRAMENTO — The stoic looks on the faces of Spurs’ head coach Gregg Popovich and his assistants Ettore Messina and Becky Hammon said plenty, if not all.

The methodical Spurs and their experienced coaching staff have found few answers for the youthful and deep Sacramento Kings thus far this season.

Not on Monday night in the Kings’ 127-112 win, and similarly, not on November 12, in the Kings 104-99 win that broke a 14-game losing streak to the five-time world champions.

In winning the season series against San Antonio (which has one game remaining, March 31 at San Antonio), the Kings have delivered a knockout, getting positive minutes from the 11 players who saw action, and piling up the statistics along the way.

In the two games combined, the Kings have received 105 points from their reserves, not far of the 126 points from their starters. Seven Kings hit at least one 3-pointer, combining for 24 in all, a nice, round number that gets even rounder when coupled with the Kings’ 94 points in paint.

Of the eight quarters in the two games, the Spurs won one–Monday’s second quarter–a 34-point bounce back that still left San Antonio trailing at the half, 63-59.

“We just missed a lot of easy shots and didn’t have a rhythm all game,” said DeMar DeRozan, who paced the Spurs with 24 points. “And you can tell their comfort level was all the way on the 10. They had it going and we didn’t.”

DeRozan’s driving layup got the Spurs even in the third quarter, but De’Aaron Fox’s layup nine seconds later put the Kings up 78-76. The Kings would finish that quarter on a 22-10 run, and they never trailed in the game’s final 12 minutes.

Six Kings finished in double digits scoring led by William Bagley’s career-best 24 points. Starting point guard Fox added 20, and his backup Yogi Ferrell had 19. Ferrell finished 4 for 4 from distance.

“Yogi Ferrell was tremendous and that’s why I thought he had a hot hand,” Kings coach Dave Joerger said. “I did sit De’Aaron and Buddy a long time, but I felt like we had a rhythm.”

With 7:47 remaining in the game, Ferrell and Bagley delivered the game’s signature play, an alley oop that turned Bagley 180 degrees after the catch, and brought the house down upon his dunk.

“I made eye contact with Yogi and saw how I was open down there and in my mind I was just trying to go up and finish,” Bagley said. “He just threw it and trusted it, and I just tried to make the play and make my guy Yogi look good.”

The Kings captured the season series from the Spurs for the first time since 2002. The win was the Kings’ seventh straight at home, and it moved them within a half-game of the eighth-place Clippers.

The Kings (28-25) are three games above .500 for the fourth time this season. On the three, previous occasions, they lost the following game.

The Kings continue their homestand with a visit from James Harden and the Houston Rockets, Wednesday at 7:00 pm PT.

Kings defy the odds to beat the Sixers 115-108 on Saturday night

Published on by Charlie O. MalloneeLeave a comment

2-2 win 2

By Charlie O. Mallonee

The Sacramento Kings entered the game versus the Philadelphia 76ers on Saturday night as the underdogs. FiveThirtyEight.com projected them to be a six-point underdog with only a 28-percent chance to win. Vegas had the Sixers as the favorites minus three points. The Kings had other ideas.The Kings won their 27th game of the season as they defeated the 76ers 115-108.

Sacramento had a two-part game plan. The first part called for the Kings to use their speed and run with the ball. The Sixers were playing the final game of a long 10-day road trip. The second part of the plan called for the Kings to keep a big body draped on Joel Embiid at all times. SAC worked their plan, and their plan worked.

The Sixers were not able to stop the Kings 3-point shooting

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Fox fights to keep the ball alive Photo: SportsRadioService.com

Philadelphia beat the Warriors on Thursday night because they shut down the Golden State 3-point shooting game. The 76ers have become known for their very tough defense against the 3-point shot.

The Kings managed to hit 11-of-30 (36.7%) of their 3-point attempts on Saturday night. Buddy Hield led that charge sinking 7-of-11 chances from downtown. The Kings outscored the Sixers 33 to 21 from behind the arc.

It should be noted that Philadelphia played without their best 3-point shooter – JJ Redick – who was held out for rest.

Numbers tell the story of the battle

  • Points in the Pains: 76ers 62; Kings 52
  • 2nd Chance Points: 76ers 18; Kings 14
  • Fast Break Points: 76ers 18; Kings 14
  • Biggest Lead: 76ers 2 (that’s not a typo) Kings 13
  • Lead Changes: 9
  • Times Tied: 9

Kings leaders in the game

  • Buddy Hield scored a game-high 34 points. Hield shot 12-for-21 overall and hit 7-of-13 attempts from long range. He also added six rebounds.
  • Willie Cauley-Stein not only spent the night draped over Embiid but also scored 19 points. He also managed to grab nine rebounds along the way.
  • De’Aaron Fox also scored 19 points in the game and dished out eight assists. Fox converted 8-of-9 attempts from the free throw line. He paid the price physically driving the lane to get those opportunities to go the charity stripe.
  • Marvin Bagley III had his eighth double-double game of the season. He scored 14 points and grabbed 13 rebounds. MBIII covered the rim while WCS covered Embiid.

76ers top performers

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Jump ball late in the 4th quarter Photo: SportsRadioService.com
  • Joel Embiid recorded his 43rd double-double of the season as he scored 29 points and pulled down 17 rebounds.
  • Jimmy Butler also put 29 points in the book – 18 of those points were scored in the fourth quarter. Butler also added seven assists in the game.
  • Point guard, shooting guard, forward, center Ben Simmonds scored 22 points, grabbed eight rebounds and dished four assists.

Up next

The Kings will be back on the floor on Monday night when they will host the San Antonio Spurs.

The 76ers will be back on their home court on Tuesday when the will host their major competition – the Toronto Raptors.

Dave Joerger’s postgame comments

Willie Cauley-Stein talks about the win and how the team played together

MBIII talked about playing guys he had only seen on TV