Category: NBA

Warriors outlast the Wizards to win their ninth in a row, 126-118

Published on by rxsluggerLeave a comment

Photo credit: nba.com/warriors

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Golden State Warriors won their ninth game in a row and their eighth straight on the road as they defeated the Washington Wizards at Capital One Arena Thursday night in Washington. The Warriors are now 34-14 for the season. The Wizards gave the Warriors a tussle even though they are missing three important players. John Wall, Dwight Howard, and Markieff Morris were not available due to injury. The Wizards still fought the Warriors until late in the game, but Steph Curry, Kevin Durant, and company were too much for the Wizards as the Warriors prevailed 126-118.

The Wizards stayed in the game as they made 15 three-point shots in forty-two tries. The Warriors connected seven times in 20 attempts, but they, with DeMarcus Cousins clogging up the middle, were able to score 70 points in the paint. Cousins, in 24 minutes of action, scored 17 points along with six boards and three assists. Cousins also connected on a 3-pointer.

The first quarter was quite competitive as the Wizards were able to lead 22-17. The Warriors, however, went on a 20-6 run to finish the quarter leading 37-28. The Wizards won the second quarter 31-30, but they could only cut one-point off the Warrior advantage. The first half ended with Golden State ahead 67-59. The Warriors were led by Steph Curry’s 21 points. Kevin Durant had 12, and DeMarcus Cousins was third with nine. The Wizards were led by former Houston Rocket Trevor Ariza’s 14 points. Bradley Beal had 13, and Tomas Satoransky, who is from the Czech Republic, added 13.

The Warriors played another terrific third quarter. Curry, Durant, and Klay Thomas upped the lead to 12 at the end of three periods of play. The Wizards tried to hang with the Warriors but the closest they came in the third quarter was trailing 71-67. The Warriors appeared to be in command but 12 minutes remained to be played.

The Wizards went on an 11-2 run to start the fourth quarter With the score 106-103, Cousins scored to put the Warriors ahead 108-103. The Wizards’ Chasson Randle, who starred for the Stanford Cardinal during his college days, connected on a three to close the gap to two 108-16. The Warriors’ bench, led by Shaun Livingston. Andre Iguodala and Alfonzo McKinnie went on a 9-0 run to make it a 117-106 score. Curry and Durant entered the game, and the Warriors went ahead 126-111. The Wizards scored the last seven points of the game, but it was too little, too late. The Warriors win 126-118

Game Notes and Stats: The Warriors’ Steph Curry led the team with 38 points. It was the 19th time this season that Steph has scored 30 or more points in a game. Curry was 14 for 24 from the floor and made but two threes in 8 tries. Kevin Durant had 21, Draymond Green 7 to go with 15 rebounds and 7 assists. Klay Thompson scored just 9. Cousins finished with 17. The Warriors’ bench was led by Andre Iguodala’s 11 points. McKinnie and Kevon Looney each had 8 and Shaun Livingston added 7.

Trevor Ariza led the Wizards with 27 points. Beal had a double-double with 22 points and 10 rebounds. Satoransky also had a double-double with 20 points and 10 assists.

The Warriors shot 56.8% from the floor and held the Wizards to 46.3%. The Warriors recorded 34 assists, and it was the 20th game of the year with 30 or more assists. They outrebounded the Wizards 5-36. On defense, the Warriors had five steals and 6 blocks.

Up Next: The Warriors travel to Boston to face the Celtics on Saturday at the TD Garden. Game time will be at 5:30 pm.

The Celtics, under coach Brad Stevens, have fought the Warriors tooth and nail. The Celtics have a formidable lineup featuring Kyrie Irving, Gordon Hayward, Hayson Tatum, Marcus Smart, Jaylen Brown, Al Horford, and Terry Rozier.

No Kawhi–no problem! Raptors beat Kings 120-105 Tuesday night

Published on by Charlie O. MalloneeLeave a comment
raptors kings 2
Photo:@Raptors

By Charlie O. Mallonee

The Toronto Raptors handed the Kings their second consecutive loss in two days as they downed Sacramento 120-105 at Scotiabank Arena on Tuesday night. This was the second game of a back-to-back set that began in Brooklyn on Monday. The Nets beat the Kings 123-94 on MLK Day.

Battle of the Tiers

The Raptors are a Tier One team. They know that they will be playing deep into the month of May and could be playing in the month of June for the Larry O’Brien Trophy. Their 36 wins are the most in the NBA to date.

The Kings are a Tier Three team that is working very hard to become a Tier Two team. Becoming a Tier Two team does not mean that they would make the playoffs this season, but it would mean they would have very few ping pong balls in the barrel for the NBA Draft Lottery.

The Kings are just four wins away from matching their win total of the 2017-18 season, and they still have 34 games to play in the regular season. Sacramento is just 1.5 games out playoff contention, even after losing on Tuesday night.

Both teams played shorthanded

raptors kings tor starters
Up North Starting Five @Raptors

The Raptors played without Kawhi Leonard, who has been on an eight-day break. Leonard has now sat out 13 games this season and the Raptors are 11-2 without him in the lineup. That is what you call depth.

Toronto plays the Pacers in Indiana on Wednesday night, and it is believed that the Raptors felt it was more important to have Kawhi available for that game than to play against the Kings at home on Tuesday night.

The official reason for Leonard’s absence was “Rest-Load Management”. Some observers are beginning to ask if Leonard would be worth a long-term contract investment since he has needed to be rested 13 times in 49 games to date this season.

raptors kings scorers
Kings Starting Five @SacramentoKings

The Kings also held out three key players on Tuesday night. De’Aaron Fox and Nemanja Bjelica did not dress and did not play. That was listed as a coach’s decision. Iman Shumpert was also held out of the game for “Rest-Load Management”.

Coach Dave Joerger mentioned in his postgame comments that two of those players went through therapy on Tuesday without giving any details. It would be fair to project that Fox was one of those players since he has needed on-going attention for a shoulder he injured approximately one month ago.

The Raptors did not miss a beat without Kawhi

raptors kings saikam
Siakam jams it home Photo: @Raptors

Six Raptors scored in double figures in the win over the Kings on Tuesday night (four were starters):

  • Fred VanVleet put up 19 points to go with seven assists and seven rebounds. VanVleet has been the “designated started” when Leonard has been unavailable.
  • Kyle Lowry also scored 19 points and dished out nine dimes in 34-minutes on the floor.
  • Pascal Siakam put 18 points up on the board, shooting 8-for-14 from the floor.
  • Serge Ibaka had a double-double night, scoring 15 points and grabbing 10 rebounds.
  • CJ Miles came off the bench to score 15 points in just over 15-minutes in the game. Miles hit 4-of-5 3-point attempts.
  • Norman Powell was the last of the double-figure scorers with 11 points.

Toronto refused to let the Kings build a lead in this game. The biggest lead for SAC on the night was five points. There were seven lead changes and six ties. The Raptors’ largest lead of the game was 19 points.

The Kings had seven players score in double figures

raptors kings mb35
Graphic @SacramentoKings

Sacramento has some strong individual performances, but they could not put together the runs they needed to stay with the Raptors. Much like game on Monday in Brooklyn, the Kings kept things close in the first half then the game started slipping away in the third quarter. By the time the clock started in the fourth quarter, the game became a runaway for the home team.

Important Kings performers:

  • Marvin Bagley III made his first start of the season and he did not disappoint. MBIIIV scored a game-high 22 points and made it a double-double by adding 11 rebounds. It will not be his last start of the season.
  • Bogdan Bogdanovic put 16 points in the book to go along with nine assists and eight rebounds. “Bogi” also had three steals in the contest.
  • Buddy Hield scored a “quiet” 15 points in the game. He shot 5-for-14 overall and hit just two 3-point baskets. Hield did dish out five assists, but one has to wonder if fatigue was not a bit of a factor for “Buddy Buckets” in the game.
  • Harry Giles III had a very productive 22-plus minutes off the bench for the Kings on Tuesday night. He scored 11 points, shooting 4-for-8 from the floor.
  • Willie Cauley-Stein, Yogi Ferrell and Ben McLemore each scored 10 points in the game.

Key Numbers

  • The Kings outscored the Raptors 50-46 in the paint
  • Toronto scored 24 Second Chance Points to 12 for Sacramento
  • The Raptors scored 26 Fast Break Points to 16 for the Kings

Up Next

The Kings (24-24) will travel to Memphis on Wednesday to prepare for their game with the Grizzlies (19-28) on Friday night.

The Raptors (36-13) will face the Pacers (31-15) in Indy on Wednesday night.

Golden State Warriors podcast with David Zizmor: How Thompson was able to set NBA record for consecutive free throws

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

Photo credit: msn.com– Golden State Warriors’ Klay Thompson shot for a NBA record setting ten consecutive three pointers on Monday night at Staples Center against the Los Angeles Lakers

On the Golden State Warriors podcast with David:

#1 How much of a difference did it make that the LA Lakers were playing without Alonzo Ball and LeBron James both out with injuries as the Warriors rolled over the Lakers on Monday night.

#2 Klay Thompson set an NBA record with ten consecutive three pointers a tough record to achieve.

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

Warriors roll over the Lakers 130-111 in Los Angeles

Published on by rxsluggerLeave a comment

Photo credit: @warriors

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Warriors had little trouble blowing out the Lakers 131-111 Monday night at the Staples Center. The Lakers, without LeBron James, who is recovering from a groin injury and Lonzo Ball, out 4 to 6 weeks with a grade 3 ankle sprain, were no match for the Warriors.  The Warriors have been playing well and are looking like the Warriors of the past four seasons as they are starting to blow out opponents. They also avenged a loss to the Lakers on Christmas day in Oakland. The Warriors won their eighth in a row and tenth in the last 11 games. The Lakers lost for the fourth time in the last six games.

With the game tied at 18, the Warriors went on a 7-0 run to go up 25-18. The Warriors finished the first quarter leading 29-24. Klay Thompson led the Warriors with 11 points. The Warriors increased the lead to 10 at the end of the first half 65-55. Thompson finished the first 24 minutes of play with 21 points. He was 9-for-11 from the floor, and he made all three of his 3-point shots. Durant had 10, Curry 8, and DeMarcus Cousins 7. Brandon Ingram led the Lakers with 13. Kyle Kuzma had 11, Michael Beasley 8, and Ivaca Zunac 8.

The Warriors broke open the game in the third quarter. They outscored the Lakers 45-25. Thompson connected on 7 three-point shots and set an NBA record by making his first ten 3-point shots in a row. He missed on his 11th try. Thompson left the game near the end of the third quarter, and he did not play in the fourth period. The Warriors finished the third quarter with a 30-point lead 110-80. Durant, Curry, Thompson, and Draymond Green sat out the fourth quarter. Warriors’ coach Steve Kerr left Cousins in the game to get some more playing time, and he finished the night with 8 points, 9 rebounds, and 5 assists. He saw 21 minutes of action before exiting about halfway through the final quarter. The Lakers’ bench outscored the Warriors 31-20, but it was not enough to overcome a 30-point deficit.

Game Notes and Stats: With the win, the Warriors are now 33-14. The Lakers drop to 25-23. Klay finished with 44 points. He was 17-20 from the floor and made 10 three-point shots in 11 tries. KD had 20, Steph Curry a double-double with 11 points and 12 assists. The Warriors’ bench players also contributed to the win. Jonas Jerebko had 9, Alonzo McKinnie 8, Kevon Looney 8, and Andre Iguodala 6.

Ivaca Zubac led the Lakers with 18. Ingram had 17, Kyle Kuzma 16, Michael Beasley,15. JaVale McGee, who played and won two championship rings with the Warriors, contributed 10 points in a losing effort for the Lakers.

Up Next: The Warriors travel to Washington, DC to face the Wizards Thursday night. Game time will be at 5 pm. The Wizards are 20-26 so far this season.

Kings falter in second half, lose to Nets 123-94

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

Photo credit: @SacramentoKings

By Jessica Kwong

BROOKLYN, N.Y. — The Sacramento Kings were in rhythm in the first half to beat the Brooklyn Nets at Barclays Center on Martin Luther King Jr. Day and win their third straight game, but fell apart in the second half to lose 123-94. 

“It was a tough game for us,” Kings head coach Dave Joerger said postgame. “I thought we had a nice rhythm in the first half. We made a lot of mistakes in the first half but we were making some shots.”

Buddy Hield scored a triple for the Kings to start but the team played poor defense, allowing the Nets to get off with a 14-7 lead with 12 of those points coming in the paint. Brooklyn’s young star D’Angelo Russell made a triple to put the Nets up 26-20 with a minute to go. Bogdan Bogdanovic made a driving shot but Russell hit another three-pointer to put the Nets up 29-23 to end the quarter. 

Sacramento had a solid second quarter offensively, scoring 37 points. 

Russell hit another three-point jump shot, but Justin Jackson answered with a triple of his own and Bogdanovic made a pulp shot to tie the game at 32 a few minutes into the quarter. Then Yogi Ferrell made a triple to give the Kings a 35-32 lead. 

Brooklyn took a one-point lead halfway through the quarter when Alan Williams made a slam dunk. Bogdanovic followed up with a jump shot and the teams went back and forth with the lead until the final minutes. Buddy Hield made a triple to give the Kings a 60-55 lead to end the half. 

“The last three, four minutes of the second quarter we were much better defensively and we just didn’t come out with that same intensity in the second half,” Joerger said.

He said the game started to get away from the Kings “about three minutes into the third quarter.”

Russell, who was named the NBA’s Eastern Conference Player of the Week, made a pullup shot, then stole the ball, missed and running layup but rebounded and made a triple to put the Nets up 66-64. Sacramento called a timeout with just over 9 minutes left in the quarter.

It didn’t help much. At the halfway mark, the Nets were up 77-70 and seemed to have more hustle. By the two-minute mark, Brooklyn extended their lead to 88-78. Harry Giles III made a cutting layup but Rondae Hollis-Jefferson made a cutting dunk to give the Nets a 93-85 lead at the end of the third. 

Sacramento failed to regroup in the fourth. A minute in, DeMarre Carroll made three-point jump shot to boost the Nets to 98-85, a 13-point and biggest lead of the game. The Kings took a timeout. Spencer Dinwiddie made a running layup, putting Brooklyn up 100-87 with 10 minutes left to play.

The Kings were unable to cut the deficit to single digits for the remainder of the game, instead trailing up to 29 points when the game ended.   

“It was a blow-by, a backdoor, a couple turnovers and Brooklyn’s in a really nice rhythm right now,” Joerger said. “They’ve got guys making shots, but they put it on the deck and they get to the rim. They’re playing really well and they’re difficult to defend, so hats off to them.”

Nets head coach Kenny Atkinson said he was most proud of his team’s “excellent” defense in the second half.

“I thought TG’s (Treveon Graham) job on Buddy Hield was fantastic,” Atkinson said. “I don’t think he scored in the second half. He was a real concern for us but great job on him and great defensive performance.”

Bogdanovic scored a team-leading 22 points, Justin Jackson had 14 points, Willie Cauley-Stein had 12 points and Hield had 11 points. Jackson said he appreciated time to play with the starters. 

“For him to feel confident enough to put me out there on the floor, for one, helps a lot,” Jackson said of Joerger. “For him to put me in different types of situations is definitely big because then I know I can just go out there and play because then I know he has the confidence in me.”

Sacramento is now 24-23 and 10th in the Western Conference. They continue their road trip on Tuesday and face the Toronto Raptors (35-13). Tipoff is at 4 p.m. PST.

Kings bounce back Saturday with a 103-101 “ugly” win over the Pistons on the road

Published on by Charlie O. MalloneeLeave a comment
pistons kings final
Graphic/Photo:@NBCSCA

By Charlie O. Mallonee

The Kings began their longest road trip of the year on Thursday night with a disappointing 114-95 loss in Charlotte. That was a game that should have gone in the win column for the Kings on this six-city road swing.

Sacramento had the table set for them on Saturday night going into the game. The Pistons were playing the second game of a back-to-back set after having played the Miami Heat on Friday night. Detroit also lost center Andre Drummond in the first quarter of the Miami game when an arm in the face caused a nasal injury that would also keep him out of the game versus the Kings.

This was a snoozer for three quarters
In fact, you could make the case that this game was a sleep inducer for 44 minutes. After 36 minutes, the Pistons held an 82-74 lead over the Kings. Detroit was controlling the pace. Blake Griffin was leading the scoring for the Pistons and Luke Kennard was sinking 3-pointers with ease.

The Kings were just hanging on in the game. They were allowing the Pistons to set a slow-down pace. SAC was shooting poorly (26.3%) from downtown, and they were allowing Detroit to outrebound them. The Kings seemed satisfied to trail the Pistons by 10 points.

At the end of three quarters, things did not look good for Sacramento fans.

Welcome to the “Buddy Buckets Show”

pistons buddy zone
In the 4th quarter, Hield was in the zone Photo:@SacramentoKings

Buddy Hield scored 20 points in the first half of the game on Saturday night. He played the entire third quarter and scored no points while shooting 0-for-3 from the field. Things looked grim indeed for the men from Sacramento.

Hield scored his first points of the second half with 3:26 to go in the game. He hit a 27-foot 3-point jump shot set up by an assist from Iman Shumpert. That cut the Detroit lead to four points.

After a Pistons miss, Hield promptly cut the Pistons lead to one after he hit another 27-foot 3-point bucket.

Hield went on to hit a 17-foot field goal, a free throw, and another 3-point basket during his 12-point blitz.

The Kings regained control of the ball with 3.4-seconds to go in the game when they grabbed the rebound off of Reggie Jackson’s missed jump shot. Sacramento called an immediate timeout in order to be able to inbound the ball in the frontcourt.

Bogdan Bogdanovic inbounded the ball to Hield. Hield, who was surrounded by three Piston defenders, lost control of the ball but was able to regain control. He turned and jumped off one leg then shot a 28-foot 3-point shot that went through the bucket at the buzzer to give the Kings the win.

Sacramento escaped the Little Caesar’s Arena with a 103-101 win over the stunned Detroit Pistons.

“(It was) my first buzzer beater in the NBA,” said Hield after the game. “It was one of those things as a kid you wanted to do and you want to cherish. I hope I have many more to come.”

Kings’ numbers on the night (24-22)

pistons kings 5
Kings starting five in Detroit Photo: @SacramentoKings

Hield was the Kings leading scorer with 35 points. He shot 13-for-22 overall and hit 7-of-9 from behind the arc. Hield also grabbed nine rebounds (3 OR).

Dave Joerger was full of praise for Buddy after the game, but he also wanted to point out the performances of some of his other players. “De’Aaron Fox had a terrific game even though he didn’t shoot the basketball (well). Iman Shumpert had a really nice night defensively. Marvin Bagley fought like crazy. Harry (Giles) fought like crazy. Those guys are getting better. It’s a great learning experience trying to learn. They’re learning it doesn’t take losses to learn.” Joerger also added that he thought, “Willie Cauley-Stein was solid tonight.”

Other contributors:

  • De’Aaron Fox had a double-double, scoring 14 points and dishing out 10 dimes
  • Marvin Bagley III put in 14 points–many with Blake Griffin in his face
  • Willie Cauley-Stein added 12 points and six rebounds
  • Bogdanovic and Giles scored eight points apiece

SAC team stats

  • The Kings hit 40-of-89 (44.9%) of their field goals in the game
  • They put in 10-of-25 (40%) of their 3-point attempts, thanks to Hield’s fourth quarter blitz
  • SAC converted 13-of-18 (72.2%) free throw attempts
  • They were outrebounded 46-39
  • Sacramento recorded 30 assists and made just 13 turnovers, which resulted in 17 Detroit points

Detroit by the numbers (20-25)

  • Blake Griffin was the game’s leading scorer with 38 points. He was also the game’s leading complainer as he had something to say to the officials after every play. He was especially boorish to referee Natalie Sago.
  • Luke Kennard put in 19 points off the bench.
  • Zaza Pachulla hauled in 12 rebounds
  • Bruce Brown recorded a career-high 10 rebounds

Up next
The Kings left the Motor City after the game for New York City. SAC will play the Brooklyn Nets (24-23) on Monday afternoon at 12:30 PM PST. The game can be seen on NBCSCA and heard on the Kings Radio Network.

The Pistons also play on Martin Luther King Day as they will be in Washington to take on the Wizards.

pistons buddy post
One happy “Star of the Game” Photo: @SacramentoKings

Warriors win 112-94, despite Cousins fouling out in team debut

Published on by smallforceLeave a comment

Photo credit: AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill

By Pearl Allison Lo

LOS ANGELES — Amidst a plethora of fouls, including technicals, DeMarcus “Boogie” Cousins was one of the ones who did not receive a technical, as the Golden State Warriors moved to 1-1 on the Los Angeles Clippers floor this season Friday.

After chemistry issues emerged after the last time they were on this court, the Warriors added a new player into the mix in the form of DeMarcus Cousins, who made his first return to NBA game play since tearing his Achilles tendon almost a year ago, on January 26th. Golden State had just played his former team, the New Orleans Pelicans, at Oracle prior to traveling down.

On how Cousins felt being back, he exclaimed, “felt like a kid on Christmas.”

Regarding team chemistry, “The first three minutes were weird,” noted the Warriors’ Stephen Curry and Cousins mentioned “…this was our first time playing together. Steve (Kerr) just kind of threw us out there into the fire…We haven’t even really practiced together.”   

Cousins received a foul in each quarter, two in the first and fouled out with 8:51 left in the game. He played a total of 15 minutes, scored 14 points including three threes, had six rebounds, three assists, two steals and one turnover. There were a total of 54 personal fouls, 30 for Los Angeles and 24 for Golden State. For technicals, the Warriors’ Draymond Green led with two, other recipients being teammate Kevin Durant, opposing Coach Doc Rivers and the Clippers’ Patrick Beverley. Beverley also fouled out with 5:43 left.

Los Angeles continued on a now five-game losing streak. It was their lowest scoring total since December 13. Meanwhile, Golden State held onto a now seven-game winning streak, their lowest scoring total since December 27.

The Clippers were without guard Lou Williams, who had a sore right hamstring, and forward Danilo Galinari. who only played eight minutes after being hit in the bag.   

The first half was close, with the Warriors’ biggest lead of six points and Los Angeles’ four points.

The first quarter saw five ties and three lead changes.

Cousin’s first bucket was a dunk of authority off a pass from Durant over a minute into the game. “I’m just glad to know I can still dunk, remarked Cousins.” Cousins then scored a rebound off a missed three from Curry, but was called for a loose ball foul instead.

With 1:17 left in the opening quarter, Beverly committed a foul, after which Durant threw the ball at him. The leading scorers after the first were Tobias Harris for the Clippers with 13 and Durant with 10. The first quarter ended with a technical on Rivers with Durant taking and missing the technical free throw.

Golden State held onto the lead with 1:38 left in the first until Los Angeles moved ahead with 5:47 left in the second with the 37-36 score, but the lead only lasted one possession.

Back in the game in the second, Cousins missed a three before receiving his third foul. Green received his first technical with 8:10 left. Cousins got to the free throw line for the first time with 7:45 left and went 1-for-2.

Beverley received his technical with 14.6 seconds left and with the game reaching a 50-50 tie, Green broke the tie with an emphatic dunk as he swung in the air, received his second technical with 3.2 seconds left.

In the third, the Warriors built up their biggest lead yet, 66-53, as they went on a14-2 run with Green, Durant, Curry, Thompson and Cousins all scoring.

Durant received his tech with 6:35 to go and Curry scored 14 points in the third quarter, all made without a three.

Cousins got his fifth foul 30 seconds into the fourth.  Later Cousins hit a three and flashed the three point sign towards the Clippers bench before hitting another three in a row the next time he was in front of them. He then had a steal, assist and rebound later before fouling out completely with 8:51 left.

Durant broke the 100-point mark for Golden State with a three and also helped them reach their biggest lead of the game, at 22 with the 102-80 score with 3:58 left.

Up Next: The Warriors will stay in town to face the Los Angeles Lakers Monday at 7:30 pm.

Stanford Cardinal podcast with Joey Friedman: Cardinal get wiped out in Seattle as Huskies take a 16-point win

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

Photo credit: @StanfordMBB

On the Stanford Cardinal podcast with Joey:

#1 KZ Okpala led the Stanford Cardinal (8-9) with 22 points, but all for not, as the Cardinal lose by 16 to the host Washington Huskies (13-4) 80-64.

#2 At one point, the Huskies led Stanford 18-8 midway in the first half.

#3 Despite the Cardinal cutting into the Huskie’s lead in the second half, the Huskies shot the ball well for 55%.

#4 The Cardinal’s Josh Sharma stayed consistent with his shooting, finishing with 17 points

#5 The Cardinal will try it all over again this Saturday in Pullman against the Washington State Cougars a 12 noon tip. Joey sets this game up.

Joey Friedman does the Stanford Cardinal podcast each Friday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

NBA podcast with Jerry Feitelberg: Kings take tough 114-95 loss; Wizards just nick the Knicks 101-100; 76ers pile on the Pacers 120-96; plus more

Published on by Sports Radio Service2 Comments

Photo credit: @SacramentoKings

On the NBA podcast with Jerry Feitelberg:

#1 The Sacramento Kings took a tough 114-95 loss in Charlotte Thursday night to the Hornets. The Hornets’ Kemba Walker led with 23 points. The Kings drop their road record to 9-12.

#2 The Washington Wizards just got by the New York Knicks 101-100. The Wizards Bradley Beal had 26 points for Washington.

#3 The Philadelphia 76ers piled up the points for a 120-96 win over the Indiana Pacers. The Sixers’ Jimmy Butler led with 27 points.

#4 The Toronto Raptors beat the Suns 111-109 in Toronto. The Raptors’ Pascal Siakam had 10 points to lead Toronto in scoring.

#5 The Denver Nuggets knocked off the struggling Chicago Bulls 135-105. The Nuggets’ Nikola Jokic led with 18 points.

Jerry Feitelberg is a Golden State Warriors beat writer and does the NBA podcasts each week at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Kings falter following fast start, fall to Hornets 114-95

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

Photo credit: atthehive.com

By: London Marq

On Thursday evening, the Kings traveled to Charlotte, kicking off the first of 6 games on the road. Winning 4 of their last 5 games, the Kings have recently gone all in with their youth movement. Harry Giles, the former college and high school standout who redshirted his first season with Sacramento after an injury, has been seeing more of the floor and has shown that he may be exactly what the Kings need around the basket. Combined with the talents of the number two overall pick from last year’s draft, Marvin Bagley III, they look like they could be the long-term future for the Kings’ backcourt. Sacramento hopes to ride it’s youth to playoff berth, continuing with a good start to this road trip.

The Kings started the game out hot, going on a 15-3 run to open the game. Buddy Hield, who has been on fire this season and is on pace to break the Kings record for threes in a single season, poured in 9 from beyond the arc. Charlotte’s Kemba Walker would help his team get back into the game, scoring 5 in the first. De’Aaron Fox helped keep the Hornets at bay with excellent facilitation, dishing out 4 assists in the quarter. The quarter would end 25-20 in the Kings’ favor.

At one point, the Kings held an 11-point lead in the second quarter, but the half ended with Charlotte going on a monster 39-13 run over 10 minutes. The game would go to halftime with Charlotte leading 63-50. The Kings would continue to fall apart. While Bogdan Bogdanovic and Marvin Bagley had good games off the bench, a lack of ball movement and poor shooting would plague them and the lead for Charlotte would balloon to 20 in the fourth quarter. The Kings starters would fight back, but it would be too little, too late.

It was a poor was for the Kings to open up a long road trip, but there is still time to turn it around.  The Kings travel to the Palace in Detroit to take on the Pistons on Saturday. After beating them 7 days ago at the Golden 1 Center, they should go in with a high level of confidence. And, after one of the most disappointing losses of the season to Charlotte, they should be hungry for a bounce back win.

FINAL: Charlotte defeated Sacramento 114-95.

UP NEXT: Kings stop by Detroit to take on the Pistons Saturday at 4:00 pm PST.