Category: NBA

NBA podcast with Jerry Feitelberg: Mavs score big on Hornets; Richardson leads the way in Heat’s win; Beal gets 24 in Wizards’ win; plus more

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Photo credit: @RamonaSteve7

On the NBA podcast with Jerry Feitelberg:

#1 The Dallas Mavericks (18-19) topped the Charlotte Hornets (18-19) 122-84. For Dallas, Luke Doncic and Dennis Smith Jr each had 28 points to lead the Mavs.

#2 The Miami Heat (18-18) downed the Cleveland Cavaliers (8-30) 117-92. The Heat’s Josh Richardson led with 24 points.

#3 The Washington Wizards (15-23) get a 114-98 win over the visiting Atlanta Hawks (11-26) Alex Len led the Hawks with 24 points and Bradley Beal led the Wizards with 24 points.

#4 The Brooklyn Nets (18-21) got a five-point win past the New Orleans Pelicans (17-22) 126-121. For the Nets, D’Angelo Russell led the Pelicans with 22 points.

#5 The Boston Celtics (22-15) got a big win past the Minnesota Timberwolves (17-21) at the Garden. The Celtics’ Gordon Hayward led all scorers with 35 points.

Join Jerry for the NBA podcasts each Thursday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Headline Sports with London Marq: Cardinals fired Wilks too soon; With no GM experience, Mayock expected to put Raiders together; Despite loss, Kings an up and coming team; plus more

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http://www.purdueexponent.org file photo: Former Arizona Cardinals head coach Steve Wilks held this facial expression for most of the Cardinals’ 3-13 season.

On the Headlines Sports podcast with London:

#1 Steve Wilks was fired after coaching the Arizona Cardinals to a 3-13 season. Wilks was fired after coaching one season for the Cardinals.

#2 Oakland Raiders new general manager Mike Mayock, who is considered a draft expert and a former analyst for NFL Network, will try his hand as the Raiders’ GM.

#3 The Sacramento Kings played a close game in Los Angeles only to lose to the Lakers 121-114. Despite the loss, the Kings have played much improved this season.

#4 Will the Golden State Warriors’ DeMarcus Cousins stay on with the Warriors? Cousins has been injured all season and has yet to see action as a Warrior. Will he come back next season?

#5 NFL Wild Card games coming up Saturday: In the AFC, Indianapolis at Houston, and the NFC, Seattle @ Dallas. Sunday’s slate: In the AFC, Los Angeles Chargers at Baltimore, and in the NFC, Philadelphia at Chicago.

London does Headlines Sports each week at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Kings drop first game of 2019, fall to Trail Blazers 113-108

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Photo credit: @SacramentoKings

By: Jeremiah Salmonson

SACRAMENTO — First off, Happy New Years from Sacramento!

The Sacramento Kings looked to topple the Portland Trail Blazers on Tuesday evening at Golden One Center. Today, the Kings were looking to brush off a disappointing loss to the Lakers that took place on Sunday in LA. The Trail Blazers came into the game this evening with a 21-16 record against the Kings’ 19-17 record. The tip-off was set for an earlier 6:00 PM PST.

The beginning of this game had a very “tired” feel to it as neither team could hold onto the ball leading to very sloppy first few minutes. Five minutes into the game, the Kings led 11-9, thanks to Buddy Hield’s five points. In the ensuing minutes, the game remained close. Buddy Hield added eight more points to his total, bringing his first-quarter total to 13. Maurice Harkless and Damian Lillard scored seven points apiece to lead the Trail Blazers to a first quarter advantage 26-25.

In the second quarter, the Kings tried to keep the game close. Halfway through the quarter, the score was 42-36 as the Kings trailed. The Kings didn’t do a good job of that. The Trail Blazers managed to rack up 64 points in the first half compared to the Kings’ 50. The Kings needed to come out strong in the third quarter if they wanted a shot at winning this game. Leading the way for the Trail Blazers was Jusuf Nurkic and CJ McCollum with a combined 27 points in the first half. Hield was arguably the only reason the Kings were remotely in the game as he put up 19 first-half points and 5-6 from downtown. The score at the half was 64-50 with the Trail Blazers on top.

In the third quarter, the Kings came out strong. Four minutes through the quarter, the Kings cut the deficit to 66-59. The Kings continued to keep the game tight. With four minutes remaining in the quarter, the Kings trailed only 73-70. Harry Giles capped the third off with a jumper just outside the paint to make it 83-77 Kings headed into the fourth.

In the fourth quarter, the Kings appeared to be on track to do what they have so many times this season. Win after a double-digit deficit late. Just shy of four minutes after the fourth quarter began the Kings had come from a 83-77 deficit to an 89-85 lead with 8:42 left to go in the game. As if Kings fans needed more drama this season, the end of this game was heart-stopping. Thanks to Damien Lillard, the game was tied with roughly six seconds remaining. De’Aaron Fox had the ball and pulled up for a game-winning jumper just inside the arc, and missed. The game went to overtime with the Trail Blazers getting the first possession with the game tied at 103 apiece.

In overtime, the Kings would score first after Bogdan Bogdanovic made two free throws after a foul. The game was 105-103 with 4:20 remaining. Lillard was subsequently fouled from behind the line and made all three attempts to give the Trail Blazers back the lead 106-105. At this point, the Trail Blazers hit a couple clutch shots, and the Kings couldn’t buy a basket leading to a 113-108 game with 13.6 seconds remaining. That proved to be the final score.

The Kings continue their homestand as they host the Denver Nuggets on Thursday, January 3 at 7:00 PM PST.

Warriors end the year on a winning note as they rout the Suns 132-109

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Photo credit: @warriors

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Warriors finished 2018 as they routed the young and improving Phoenix Suns 132-109. The Warriors won their 17th in a row over the Suns and eighth straight in Phoenix. The Warriors won all four quarters of the game, but it was midway through the second quarter with the second unit on the floor as they caught fire and put the game away. The Warriors finished the first quarter with a four-point lead 31-27. They ended the first half leading by 17, 69-52.

The Warriors refused to let the Suns back in the game. They won the third quarter 39-32 and also the fourth quarter 24-22.

Steph Curry led the Warriors with 34 points, 4 rebounds and, nine assists. Kevin Durant helped out with 25. Klay Thompson added 15. Draymond Green had 7 points and 7 assists and was plus-20 when he was on the floor. The Warriors’ bench contributed 46 points Monday night and that effort put a big smile on Steve Kerr’s face.

The big rookie, 7-foot 1-inch Deandre Ayton, from the University of Arizona knocked down 25 points. T.J. Warren added 24, Devon Booker 20, and Kelly Oubre, Jr. 15.

The Warriors, as a team, shot 54.8% from the floor and were 14-for-28 from 3-point range. The Warriors’ defense outrebounded the Suns and the defense had 7 steals and 8 blocked shots during the contest.

The Warriors improved to 25-13 while the Suns drop to 9-29. The Warriors return home to play the Houston Rockets at Oracle Arena The Rockets, after a slow start, are now 21-15 and are in first place in the Southwest Division of the Western Conference. Game time will be at 7:30 pm.

Sacramento Kings podcast with Charlie O: After seeing the Lakers twice, the Kings host the Blazers on New Year’s Day

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Photo credit: sacbee.com Kings loss in Los Angeles at Staples Center on Sunday

On the Sacramento Kings podcast with Charlie O:

#1 How stunning was it for the Kings being able to beat the Lakers 127-118 last Thursday night?

#2 Leading scorers for the Kings in the first half included Willie Cauley-Stein (11 points), Nemenja Bjelica (9 points), and Iman Shumpert (9 points). Leading the Lakers was Kyle Kuzma (23 points), Brandon Ingram (16 points), and Lonzo Ball (9 points).

#3 Notably not available for the Lakers was Lebron James, Rajon Rondo, and Javale McGee. Needless to say, the Kings were feeling good about the matchup.

#4 The Kings played the Lakers again on Sunday. Talk about how that one turned out.

#5 Next up it’s the Portland Trail Blazers on New Year’s Day Tuesday night.

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

Close but no cigar: Lakers down the Kings 121-114 Sunday night at Staples

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By Charlie O. Mallonee

LAL 12-30 5
Kings starting five @SacramentoKings

The Sacramento Kings goal of winning back-to-back games from the Los Angeles Lakers went up in smoke in the final minutes of the contest on Sunday night when the Lakers went on a 12-0 run. The Lakers, even without LeBron, went on to defeat the Kings 121-114 in the final game of 2018 for Sacramento.

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope recorded a season-high 26 points, while Josh Hart added 22 points. Brandon Ingram joined the party by putting in 21 points, including seven points in the final run that decided the game.

The Kings lost for the first time this season when they held the lead going into the fourth quarter.

This was a very entertaining game

LAL 12-30
Bogdanovic to the hoop @SacramentoKings

This was the kind of game the NBA would like to have every night:

  • There were 18 lead changes
  • The game was tied 13 times
  • The Kings outscored the Lakers 58-52 in the paint — it was a battle
  • The Lakers won the war of second chance points 20-9
  • The Kings put up 27 fastbreak points to 12 for the Lakers
  • The biggest lead of the game: Kings 11, Lakers 9

The Kings were led by their backcourt in the game

  • De’Aaron Fox tied for high-scorer in the game with 26 points and he dished out seven assists. Fox grabbed four rebounds and made three steals.
  • Buddy Hield scored 21 points in the game, shooting 7-for-17 in the contest. He hit 4-of-11 from behind the arc.
  • Bogdan Bogdanovic also put up 21 points by shooting 9-for-18 from the floor (3-for-6 from 3-point land).

Other Kings contributors

  • Willie Cauley-Stein recorded a double-double, scoring 11 points and hauling in 12 rebounds
  • Iman Shumpert scored eight points, but did not have a great shooting night
  • Yogi Ferrell also put up eight points in just over eight minutes of playing time

Team Stats

Kings

  • The team shot 48.4-percent (46-for-95) from the field
  • They went 13-for-34 (38.2%) from 3-point land
  • They were outrebounded 50-45
  • Sacramento made 14 turnovers that resulted in 16 Laker points

Lakers

  • LAL shot 46-for-95 from the floor (48.0-percent)
  • The Lakers hit 15-of-44 3-point shots (34.1%)
  • LA recorded 30 assists versus the Kings
  • Caldwell-Pope’s 26 points were a career-high

Up Next

The Kings (19-17) will host the Portland on New Year’s Day at the Golden 1 Center.

The Lakers (21-16) will welcome the Thunder to the Staples Center on January 2nd.

Golden State Warriors podcast with David Zizmor: Warriors have lost three of last six, which Dubs team comes out tonight in Phoenix?

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Photo credit: @sn_nba

On the Warriors podcast with David:

#1 Golden State has lost three of their last six games. Do you see any holes in their offense that led to these losses and Kevin Durant alluded to too many shots are being missed on the free throw line?

#2 Do you look at their win over the Portland Trailblazers as something of a relief after losing to the Lakers and the Blazers in Oakland back-to-back?

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

Warriors regain their mojo, defeat the Blazers 115-105

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Photo credit: nba.com/warriors

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Golden State Warriors snapped a two-game losing streak as they beat the Portland Trail Blazers 115-105 at the Moda Center Saturday night. The Warriors, coming off two ugly losses to the Lakers and Blazers, excelled on both ends of the court Saturday night. Klay Thompson, who had mired in a shooting slump, came alive and led the team to the victory with 32 points including four 3-point shots in four tries. The Warriors won the first three quarters, and each team scored 22 points in the fourth quarter.

The Warriors won the first quarter 30-27. Kevon Looney helped out with seven points early in the quarter. Looney hit his first 3-pointer of the season to help the Warriors get rolling. He, along with Draymond Green, was tasked with defending Jusuf Nurkic. The Blazers’ big center torched the Warriors for 27 points Thursday night at Oracle Arena. Warriors’ head coach Steve Kerr did not want Nurkic to be a force inside. Looney and Green responded and played well. Nurkic finished with 21, but the Warriors were able to defend him better in this game. The Warriors started the second quarter on a 10-0 run. Curry scored the first seven points, and Jonas Jerebko knocked down a 3 to give the Warriors the lead 40-27. They led by 18, 56-38, but Portland finished the first half on a 12-2 run. The score at the half was 58-50 in favor of Golden State. Andre Iguodala was charged with a technical foul and had to leave the game when he threw the basketball into the stands with force as the buzzer sounded to end the second quarter. The refs had no choice as it is an automatic ejection.

The Warriors were able to increase the lead to 10 at the end of the third quarter. The Warriors behind Curry, Thompson and Durant increased the lead to 14. The Blazers refused to wilt and were able to cut the deficit to five 83-78. Quinn Cook was in for Curry, and he made two big 3-point shots to propel the Warriors to a 10-0 run. Nurkic was a force for Portland in the third quarter as he kept using his big body to barrel into the rim. The Warriors led 93-83 at the end of three.

Neither team scored in the first three minutes of the fourth quarter. Both teams played excellent defense, and the Warriors started to play sloppy and make mistakes as they did Thursday night in Oakland, Thompson’s shooting helped propel the Warriors to a 105-89 advantage. Portland went on a 9-0 run to make it 105-98. It was gut-check time for the Warriors. The Warriors scored the next four points, but Portland made a bucket to trail 109-100 with 2:07 to play. Curry was fouled attempting a 3-point shot. The best free throw shooter in the NBA missed two shots. However, on the ensuing play. The Blazers were charged with two technical fouls. Curry increased the lead to 112-100 with 1:49 left. Kerr pulled his regulars, and the Warriors coasted to the win 115-105.

Game Notes and Stats: With the win, Golden State is now 24-13 for the season. Portland falls to 20-16.

Klay Thompson led the Warriors with 32 points, and he made four treys. Steph Curry had 22, and he connected twice on three-point shots. Kevin Durant had 25. Kevon Looney had 12, Jonas Jerebko 8, and Quinn Cook had six. Draymond Green scored three points, but he was a force on the floor. He had 9 boards and 6 assists. However, when Green was on the court, the Warriors were a plus-28. Jerebko was a plus-18 as he had another stellar performance. The Warriors shot 50% from the floor and made 12 3s in 25 attempts. The Warriors defense held the Blazers to 42.9% from the floor and the Blazers were 9-for 31 from 3-point range.

The Blazers were led by Damian Lillard’s 40 points. Nurkic had 21, and CJ McCollum finished with 14.

Up Next: The Warriors meet the Phoenix Suns Monday night in Phoenix. Game time is at 5 pm.

Warriors lose to the Trail Blazers 110-109 in overtime

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Photo credit: nba.com/warriors

By: Jerry Feitelberg

The Golden State Warriors played well enough on defense to defeat the Portland Trail Blazers Thursday night at Oracle Arena. The Warrior offense, however, did not take advantage of the many opportunities they had to put the game away, and they fell to the Trail Blazers 110-109.

The Warriors defense held the Blazers to 36% from the floor, but they lost. The Warriors, when they make 11 or more 3s in a game usually win. Until late in the fourth quarter, they were shooting 8-for-34 from the 3-point range. The Warriors literally gave the game to the Blazers as they missed eight free throws in 14 attempts. Klay Thompson, Steph Curry, and Kevin Durant all missed key free throws.

Both teams played a competitive first period. The Warriors finished the quarter with the lead 28-27. The Warriors were ahead 38-35 when Portland went on a 15-5 run to lead 50-43. Andre Iguodala connected on a 3 to bring the Warriors a bit closer. The Blazers scored the last two points of the half to finished with a six-point advantage, 52-46. They outscored the Warriors 25-18 in the quarter.

The Warriors cut the deficit to two at the end of the third period. They had ample opportunities to get ahead as Portland’s offense was non-existent at times. The Warriors couldn’t make 3s or free throws, and Portland was able to finish leading 75-71.

The Blazers’ Seth Curry made three 3-pointers to start the fourth quarter. The Warriors trailed by nine 83-74, and things looked dire. The Warriors tried to come back, but Portland was able to increase the lead to 10 96-86. The Warriors then went on a 16-6 run to tie the game. Curry made two 3-point shots, and Kevin Durant tied it with a 3.

In overtime, the Warriors took an early 106-102 lead. Portland turned the ball over three times, but the Warriors failed to capitalize. Portland went ahead 107-106 with 1:05 left to play. Draymond Green made a 3 from the corner to put the Warriors ahead for the last time 109-107. The Warriors had the ball with time running down. The Warriors inbounded the ball to Curry, who was double-teamed by the Blazers. Curry’s attempt to pass the ball went awry, and the ball went over to Portland, who made the Warriors pay as Oakland native Damian Lillard drained a 3 with 5.2 seconds left. The Warriors gave the ball to Kevin Durant for the last shot, but his shot bounced off the rim, and the Warriors were toast 110-109.

Game Notes and Stats: The Blazers had five players in double figures. They were led by Jusuf Nurkic. He was a force on offense and a monster on the boards. He scored 27 points and had 12 rebounds. CJ McCollum finished with 24, Lillard 21, Maurice Harkless 11, and Seth Curry 11.

The Warriors were led by Steph Curry’s 29. Steph was 6-for-15 from 3-point land. Durant had a triple-double with 26 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists. Draymond Green finished the night with 15 points, 11 rebounds for a double-double.

The Warriors drop to 23-23 while Portland improves to 30-15.

Up Next: The two teams play again in Portland Saturday night at 7:00 pm PST.

Kings stun the Lakers 117-116

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Photo credit: @SacramentoKings

By: Jeremiah Salmonson

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The Sacramento Kings would play a team from Los Angeles for the second time in as many days on Thursday evening at Golden One Center. Yesterday, the day after Christmas, the Kings squared off against the LA Clippers and the Kings would ultimately lose the game 127-118 in LA. Looking for redemption the Kings were set to face the very injured LA Lakers. Notably not available for the Lakers was Lebron James, Rajon Rondo, and Javale McGee. Needless to say, the Kings were feeling good about the matchup.

In the first quarter, the Kings would jump ahead early, thanks to Willie Cauley-Stein and company. With only a minute 1:30 gone in the game, Cauley-Stein already had six points. From about that point until the final whistle in the first, the game was not pretty for the Kings. The Lakers would go on a terror, aided by Lonzo Ball and his 11 points to lead the Lakers to a 34-32 score after the first.

In the second quarter, the pace of the game balanced out a little bit. The two teams traded shot for shot. However, during the final few minutes of the quarter, the Lakers would create a little separation going into the half. When it was all said and done, the Kings would be down 67-61. Leading scorers for the Kings in the first half included Willie Cauley-Stein (11 points), Nemenja Bjelica (9 points), and Iman Shumpert (9 points). Leading the Lakers was Kyle Kuzma (23 points), Brandon Ingram (16 points), and Lonzo Ball (9 points).

Going into the second half, the Kings knew that had to play better defense. Unfortunately for Kings fans, they weren’t able to do so. Nearly through the third quarter, the Kings trailed the Lakers 78-92. At this point, a loud “Let’s go Lakers” chant rained down on Golden One Center. It’s safe to say the game was not going as planned for the Kings. The Kings were able to go on a 6-3 run in the final minute and go into the final quarter down 95-84.

The Kings would need 12 more points than the Lakers in the fourth at a minimum to pull off the win. Halfway through the fourth, the Kings didn’t appear as if they could pull it off. However, after a 3-pointer from Iman Shumpert and a timeout from Dave Joerger, the Kings appeared to have some life. Apparently, the Kings’ bench was able to hear me from press row. I said they showed life and life is what they showed. With 1:42 left in the game, the Kings cut the deficit to 110-107. This game got more exciting going down to the end for the backdrop. The Kings were down 116-114 with 4.3 seconds to go. The Kings inbound and Bogdan Bogdanovic threw up a step back three from near the Golden One Center logo and he hit it at the buzzer. The Kings won 117-116.

The Kings and Lakers travel to L.A. to face each other again on Sunday, December 30 at 6:30 pm PST.