Category: NBA

Thunder rout the Warriors 123-95 to hand them fourth straight loss

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Photo credit: @warriors

By Jerry Feitelberg

It was an ugly night at Oracle Arena as the Oklahoma City Thunder routed the Warriors 123-95 to send the Warriors down for the fourth straight game. It was the first time in the Steve Kerr era that the Warriors have lost four in a row. The last time that happened was in the 2012-13 season when Mark Jackson coached the Warriors.

The Warriors’ Steph Curry, Draymond Green, and Alfonzo McKinnie were not available, and the team missed them immensely. Kevin Durant and Klay Thompson played well, but the rest of the team, except for two-way player Damion Lee, did not help the club in scoring.

The Thunders’ Steve Adams controlled the boards at both ends of the court. The Thunder pulled down 61 boards compared to the Warriors’ 42. The Thunder had 18 offensive rebounds, and they seemed to get second and third chance opportunities to score. They took 23 more shots than the Warriors, and they made 13 3-point shots while the Warriors made just seven.

The Thunder’s Russell Westbrook, still working his way back into shape, had a triple-double with 11 points, 11 rebounds, and 13 assists. The Thunder had five players in double figures, and Dennis Schroder, acquired in a trade from the Atlanta Hawks, had a season-high 32 points, and he made five three for the first time in his career.

The Warriors fell behind early again as they had done in the last three games in Texas. The Thunder finished with a five-point advantage 23-18 after the first 12 minutes of play. The Warriors could not get the offense going, and they failed to make a three-point shot in the period.

In the second quarter, the Warriors regained the lead 31-29. They seemed to be on track to get the offense rolling until the Thunder went on an 8-0 run to make it 37-31. The Thunder took 14 more shots than the Warriors in the first half and scored 13 points off turnovers. The Thunder were dominating in all facets of the game, and they led 60-46 at the end of two periods of action. Durant and Thompson paced the team with 14 points each. None of the other starters had more than 4, and Damion Lee, coming off the bench, had 5. Steve Adams led the Thunder with 16 points and 9 rebounds. Paul George added 13, and Schroder had 16.

The Warriors outscored the Thunder 33-27 in the third quarter to cut the deficit to eight 89-79. Klay Thompson started to get hot but had to come out as he picked up his fourth personal foul about midway through the quarter. Damion Lee and Kevin Durant were the offense in the quarter. Quinn Cook made a three to help the Warrior close the gap, but it was clear that they would have to find somehow a way to stop the Thunder offense as well as improve their attack.

The Warriors scored the first six points of the fourth quarter to make it a 4-point game 89-85. That was close as the Warriors would get as the Thunder went on a 14-0 run. They were ahead by 18 when the Warriors broke the spell, but the damage was done, and there was no way they were going to win. The Thunder outscored them 36-16 in the final period to win 123-95.

Game Notes and Stats: The Warriors’ record for the season is now 12-7.

The Thunder, starting the season 0-4, are now 11-6 for the year.

Kevin Durant finished the night with a double-double: 27 points and 14 rebounds.

Klay Thompson was 10-for-23 from the floor. He made three 3-pointers in 8 attempts and finished with 27 points.

Damion Lee was the only other Warrior in double figures with 13. The eight other Warrior players contributed just 28 points in the losing effort.

The Thunder had five players in double-figures. Schroder had 32, Paul George 25, Jerami Grant 14, Adams 20, and Westbrook 11. Grant and Adams both had a double-double-night.

The Thunder had two players leave the game with an injury. Terrance Ferguson left the game in the first half and did not return to action. Hamidou Diallo suffered a leg injury in the fourth quarter and left the court on a stretcher. There was no information available at the end of the game as to the extent of the injury.

Up Next: The Warriors are off on Thanksgiving day. They return to action Friday night against the Portland Trail Blazers at Oracle Arena. Game time is at 7:30 pm PT.

They then play the Sacramento Kings Saturday at 5:30 pm PT. Steph Curry will not be available. There is a possibility that Draymond Green will return to action.

Kings thankful after 119-110 defeat of the Jazz

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Photo credit: @SacramentoKings

By: London Marq 

Less than a week removed from reports that the Sacramento Kings’ front office were considering firing head coach Dave Joerger due to Marvin Bagley, the second overall pick from this year’s draft, not being in the starting lineup. The news put Kings fans and local media outlets on edge. After the best start to an NBA season in recent memory, this situation seemingly mirrored one four seasons ago when the Kings abruptly fired coach Mike Malone after starting the season 10-5. When the news broke about a possible firing of Joerger, the Kings were 8-8 with a number of meaningful wins under their belt and on pace to make a serious run to end the 12-year playoff drought.

Since then the Kings have won two games–one at home versus the triple-double machine Russell Westbrook and the Oklahoma City Thunder, and tonight, a huge win on the road against the defensive juggernaut Jazz. Kings general manager Vlade Divac announced before both of these games that Joerger’s job is safe, that the organization has complete confidence in him. That being said, nothing solves problems like winning does.

The Kings traveled into Vivint Smart Home Arena seeking revenge against the Utah Jazz, a team they have lost to earlier this season. The Kings came out like they wanted it. Two of the Kings’ surprise stars this season, Nemanja Bjelica and Iman Shumpert, each knocked down a shots from beyond the arc to open up the game, setting the tone you would want to start a game in front of a hostile crowd. De’Aaron Fox also came out of the locker room with a purpose. In the first 10 minutes, he stuffed his stat sheet with six points, five rebounds and five assists. The Kings would end the first quarter up by 13 as the Jazz failed to find a consistent rhythm.

In the second quarter, the Jazz would find some pace and the lead would be reduced to three, but they weren’t able to snag the lead as the Kings continued to play well on both sides of the ball. The Jazz were never able to get momentum as Donovan Mitchell (35 points, 3 assists) was forced to do all the heavy lifting. Buddy Hield, who seemed almost nonexistent in the first two quarters would show up right before half time with a huge three right before time expired, keeping the fire alive.

The Kings would be outscored in the third quarter, but the game remained close as Willie Cauley-Stein continued what is his hottest start to an NBA season in his young career. He would finish the game with 23 points and seven rebounds. The Jazz finally found the rhythm on offence with Joe Ingles (12 points, 7 assists) got into the mix. Despite all of the effort from the Jazz to keep the game close, they would still trail the Kings by one going into the fourth quarter, after Fox slashed to basket at the end of the third quarter to grab the lead back.

The Kings would ride that momentum and jumped out to a 17-point lead in the fourth quarter. However, a sight many Kings fans have seen before seemed to be unfolding as the Jazz began to mount a comeback, with a little bit of help from the refs. The Kings showing signs of growth, were able to fight the odds that never seem to be in their favor and hold onto the lead and mount a huge win against a strong team on the road.  

A huge win in the face of a possible coaching controversy, and the best defensive team in the NBA.They are playing intense, complimentary basketball on both sides of the ball. Something the Kings haven’t done in over a decade. Don’t look now, the Kings may be for real.

The Kings will play the Jazz in the final of three games between them this season in four days on November 25. With each team taking a win apiece, it’s sure to be quite the rematch with the winner taking home bragging rights.

The Kings defeated the Jazz 119-110. 

The Kings head to Oracle Arena to take on the Warriors on Saturday, November 24 at 5:30 pm PT.

Headline Sports podcast with London Marq: Rams-Chiefs set record for the ages; Will Warriors get back to normal?

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Photo credit: nfl.com

On the Headline Sports podcast with London:

#1 Former Cal football quarterback Jared Goff had himself an evening on Monday Night Football in a razor close game against the Kansas City Chiefs a game for the ages as the LA Rams defeated the Chiefs 54-51 in the highest scoring game in MNF history. Goff passed for 413 yards, four touchdowns, and rushed for a touchdown.

#2 The Warriors, who have lost three straight games, and open a four-game homestand on Wednesday night. Is there concern about how they’ll fare as all the talk has been about the dissension on the team as to why this team is untracked?

#3 San Francisco Giants Team president Farhan Zaidi is still in his get to know you mode. Zaidi is still getting to know the players and front office staff is going through resumes and recommendation letters and emails for who he will decide to find as the new GM for the Giants.

#4 In a meeting this week during practice at the San Francisco 49ers (2-8), head coach Kyle Shanahan made it very clear to his players that their jobs were on the line and they had better get it together soon as the team prepares for their next game in Tampa Bay this Sunday after coming off a Monday Night Football loss on Nov. 12th to the New York Giants.

#5 The Oakland Raiders (2-8) lend a great deal of credit to their running backs, who carried for scores and yards, to help the Raiders in their razor close win over the Arizona Cardinals last Sunday 23-21. The two running backs of record to get some nice pats on the back Jalen Richard and DeAndre Washington, who both combined for 84 yards and 20 carries in the Raiders’ win.

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

 

That’s Amaury’s News and Commentary podcast: Can snake-bitten Warriors shake off recent skid in upcoming four-game homestand?

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mercurynews.com photo: Golden State Warriors’ Draymond Green, left, listens to coach Steve Kerr during the second half of an NBA basketball game against the Houston Rockets Thursday, Nov. 15, 2018, in Houston. The Rockets won 107-86.

On That’s Amaury’s News and Commentary podcast:

#1 Amaury, you recently wrote that the Warriors, who were talent deep, have hit a brick wall and injuries have played a part in their three-game skid with Draymond Green and Stephen Curry both sitting out last game.

#2 Things have gotten so bad. The Warriors are depending on DeMarcus Cousins to save them if Kevin Durant bolts for another team after his contract runs out at the end of the season.

#3 How much did Green’s tirade on Monday, Nov. 12th in Oakland at Durant calling him a bitch multiple times and saying to Durant that if he wants to “leave than just leave.” Did this embarrassing display bring the Warriors down from that point?

#4  Steve Kerr said that the team is turning the ball over too much, can’t hit the free throws and are disastrous on the three pointer.

#5 Golden State opens a four-game homestand starting Wednesday night can they string wins against Oklahoma, Portland, Sacramento, and Orlando to put this losing streak behind them or is the residue from the Green-Durant spat still with this team?

Amaury Pi Gonzalez does News and Commentary each week at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Kings break losing skid with narrow, 117-113 home win over the Thunder

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By Morris Phillips

SACRAMENTO — Winning may be the ultimate goal, but for the emerging Sacramento Kings early wins have created expectations and differences of opinion that could in the short run derail the club’s still fragile chemistry.

The latest? A report surfaced prior to Monday’s game against Oklahoma City that the Kings’ management would consider dismissing Dave Joerger because he’s awarded playing time to the club’s veteran players at the expense of the playing time and development of the young core, specifically 2018 first-round pick William Bagley III.

Both Joerger and general manager Vlade Divac dismissed the reports prior to Monday’s game, but no denial could more effective than the Kings dispatching the Thunder, and putting an end to their two-game losing skid.

And that they did, holding on to beat the Thunder, 117-113 at Golden 1 Center.

Buddy Hield scored 25 points, and Iman Shumpert added 23, as the Kings led most of the night only to have the Thunder rally late behind Russell Westbrook in an attempt to steal the ballgame. However, Hield, Shumpert and Bogdan Bogdanovic combined for 13 made threes, including Hield’s trio of threes late that helped the Kings seal it.

“In the first half we played maybe as fast as we’ve played since at Miami (a 123-113 win on October 29). We like to play that fast but we got tired,” Joerger said. “But we kept at it and kept battling.”

Prior to the game, Joerger explained that the Kings caught the league’s attention with their five-game win streak that ended November 1. Now, teams are far more conscious about their transition defense against a younger club that would prefer to move at the NBA’s fastest pace. Then on their most recent trip out of town, the Kings saw the Rockets and Grizzlies, a pair of clubs playing at a high level.

“It is about when you catch teams at a part of a season,” Joerger said in response to his teams’ recent struggles. “We caught two teams that are locked in right now. You get to that 20-game point, and everything is get into a rhythm, and both of those teams have found their rhythm.”

According to Joerger, the five-game win streak created expectations, and the stretch of five losses in seven games that followed, created questions. The report that Bagley’s playing time is an issue is a part of that, but not one Joerger was willing to address.

“I’m not going to get into that,” he said.

Against Oklahoma City, Bagley did see a spike in his time, playing 26 minutes off the bench and coming up with 15 points, 13 rebounds, the first double-double of his NBA career. Nemanja Bjelica–the veteran whose extended playing time was referenced in the report–started for the Kings on Monday, but only played 23 minutes. Still he was effective with 12 points, eight rebounds on 5 of 6 shooting.

De’Aaron Fox struggled with his shooting, going 1 of 10, but he contributed a career-best 13 assists in a team-high 35 minutes of action.

The Kings (9-8) face the Utah Jazz on Wednesday at 6:00 pm PT in Salt Lake City.

That’s Amaury’s News and Commentary: Injuries, the Kryptonite for the Warriors

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Photo credit: @TurntSportsNews

By: Amaury Pi-González

The Warriors have stolen the old Oakland Raiders phrase by their legendary owner All Davis “Just Win Baby” and “Commitment to Excellence” because that’s exactly fits the Golden State Warriors in present history. The Warriors will return to play in San Francisco at the Chase Arena next season. They played in San Francisco (actually Daly City’s Cow Palace) from 1962-1971, and they were called the San Francisco Warriors. I remember their last two years they play at the Cow Palace very well,because that was the first professional Bay Area team I covered as I was writing for El Mundo News of Oakland, a bilingual newspaper.

Recently, injuries have stopped the Warriors and that is their #1 enemy. A healthy Warriors team is way above anybody else in the NBA. Stephen Curry,Draymond Green and others are currently not 100% and that is always a problem, even to a team as deep as the NBA champions. The whole season is ahead. However, there is wear and tear on this team.

The Boston Celtics have won 17 NBA titles, the most followed by the Minneapolis/Los Angeles Lakers with 16 titles. Philadelphia/San Francisco/Golden State Warriors with 6, Chicago Bulls 6 and San Antonio Spurs with 5. Starting this 2018-19 NBA season, the Warriors are playing their last season at Oakland and really have no rivals. All the experts and money in Las Vegas is on the Warriors as the undisputed favorites to repeat. There are teams like San Antonio, Dallas and Cleveland who would be trouble for the Warriors, especially during the playoffs, but it is hard to see anybody really stopping them this season.

The Warriors have won 3 titles in the last four seasons,and they are poised to win again this season,which will give them a total of 4 at Oakland, (they also won in 1975) and a total of 7 among all the three cities they have played for: Philadelphia,San Francisco,Oakland. Outside the Bay Area, the Warriors are hated by many and called annoying by others. They were a championship team prior to acquiring Kevin Durant, now this season they added Demarcus Cousins. So it is easy to see why outside the Bay Area they remain as one of the most hated and even annoying teams for people that follow the NBA. Some times you have to admit it is human nature to hate something that is almost perfection. There is a reason the New York Yankees have been hated for many many years,and a lot have to do with the success they have always enjoyed with their 27 World Series titles, they got the nickname of “The Evil Empire”while playing in the Empire State.

The last few years have been dream years for the Warriors and it seems everything continues to go their way. In 2016-17 the salary cap in the NBA went up to $94 million, which made possible the signing of Kevin Durant by letting go of Andrew Bogut, the rights to Harrison Barnes and now with Cousins (signed to a 1-year, $5.3 million deal), their odds of winning the title soared. They are as close to a sure thing to repeat as they have ever been before. Remember they were already Champions before Durant or Cousins came to the Bay.

Like mentioned before, they still have most of the season ahead and there is nothing assured in any sport, but unless a freak rash of injuries to a few of their players, especially if anybody suffers a key injury that would keep from playing for a long time, this team will walk into another title with little difficulty. It never gets boring for fans of a team when that team wins. You expect them to do every day every night. The story becomes when the Warriors lose a game, not when they win.

I remember the days when I could not give tickets for free for the Warriors games at Oakland,we had a bunch of coaches on a short span of time, like Don Nelson, Gary St. Jean, Rick Adelman and P.J. Carlesimo. These were exciting Warriors teams, they scored a lot but gave away much more points. They were very entertaining, but they didn’t win anything. Now the glory days are going on,and everybody expect them to win every time they go out on the court, and for many teams, a win against the Warriors regardless how that win is obtained is like their highlight for the season.

Warriors lose again, fall to Spurs 104-92

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Photo credit: @warriors

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Warriors lost their third game in a row and fourth in the last five games when they were beaten by the San Antonio Spurs 104-92 in San Antonio.

The Warriors were again without the services of Steph Curry and Draymond Green. Alfonzo McKinnie, who has been a valuable reserve for the Warriors, did not suit up either. DeMarcus Cousins, who is recovering from a ruptured Achilles tendon, is still not ready to play. The Warriors need him to help get the offense back into high gear. The Warriors are also missing the presence of JaVale McGee and David West. McGee signed a contract with the Los Angels Lakers. He provided instant offense when head coach Steve Kerr inserted him into the game for the Warriors. So far, neither Damian Jones or Kevon Looney has been able to replicate what McGee did. That is not to say that they are not contributing, but it seems the electricity is missing. David West, who usually started the second and fourth quarter, has retired. West was a force on the floor and he, too, is missed.

The Warriors, who had won three of the last five games played in San Antonio, looked like the team that had lost 33 straight games in San Antonio before Steve Kerr became the head coach. The Warriors fell behind early in the first quarter. They stayed close and even tied the game at 21. The Spurs then went on a 10-2 run and led the Warriors by six, 33-27, at the end of the quarter.

The Warriors stayed close and actually took the lead 38-37 on a bucket by Klay Thompson. The teams changed leads a couple times later in the quarter. The Warriors led 46-45, but the Spurs went on an 11-2 run to finish the first half 56-48. Kevin Durant had 11 for the half. He had a tough time hitting his shots from the floor as he was 2-for-10. Klay finished with 13, and Quinn Cook had 6.

The Warriors shot just 40% from the floor and were 1-for 12 from 3-point range. The Spurs shot 44% from the floor and made 7 3-point shots in 18 attempts. LaMarcus Aldridge had 10 points and 11 boards. Rudy Gay knocked down 15. He had four 3-pointers in the half. Marco Belinelli, the former Warrior, made 2 3-pointers and had 8 total in the half.

The Warriors’ offense went to sleep to start the third quarter. Neither Durant nor Thompson could make a three-point shot. The Warriors scored just 6 points for the first five-plus minutes in the period. They fell behind by 18 74-56 before the offense woke up. The Warriors finished the third quarter on a 9-0 run to close the gap to 7 78-71. Quinn cook made two threes to help the Warriors close the gap.

The Warriors, in the fourth quarter, continued to play good defense. They played with a lot of energy as they came all the way back and trailed the Spurs 91-90 after Klay hit a three. The Spurs, at this point, shit the Warriors offense down. They scored six points to lead 97-90. Kevon Looney made a hard-earned basket to make it 97-92. The Warriors failed to score, and San Antonio scored the last seven points of the night to win 104-92.

Game Notes and Stats: With the loss, the Warriors drop to 12-6, and San Antonio improved to 8-7. Kevin Durant led the Warriors with 26 points and 10 rebounds. He was 8-for-25 from the floor and 1-for-8 from three-point range. Klay Thompson tallied 25, and he was 3-for -11 attempting 3s. Quinn Cook had 16 points and 8 rebounds. He made one three in four attempts.

LaMarcus Aldridge had a double-double with 24 points and 17 rebounds. Rudy Gay had 19, DeMar DeRozan 20. Belinelli finished with 12, and Bryn Forbes had 10.

Up Next: The Warriors return home to face the Oklahoma Thunder Wednesday night at 7:30 pm inside Oracle Arena.

The Portland Trailblazers, with Damian Lillard and C.J.McCollum, visit the Oracle on Friday night at 7:30 pm.

Rockets work from downtown to beat the Kings 132-112 on Saturday night

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Hou score

By Charlie O. Mallonee

The Sacramento Kings faced a Herculean task on Saturday night. First, they had to go for a win in the second game of a back-to-back set on the road for which the odds are against the road team. Second, the team they would have to defeat would be the Houston Rockets–one of the most talented “Tier One” teams in “the Association.”

This would also be the Kings’ fourth back-to-back set of games this season, which is just 16 games old for Sacramento. For a league that wanted to reduce the number of back-to-back games, the NBA seems to be doing a poor job of it when it comes to the Kings.

After losing to the Grizzlies on Friday night, the Kings came up short in Houston losing to the Rockets 132-112. The Rockets have won seven of their last nine games and have now won four games in a row. Simply put, the Rockets are on fire!

The Rockets’ plan was to slow the Kings down

Hou starters

Everyone in the NBA now knows the Kings’ plan is to run their opponent out of the building. The defense that appears to be the most effective against that plan is to slow down the Kings pace of play and force them into a half-court game. Sacramento appears to be unable to adjust when having to play at a slower pace.

The Kings shot 45.1-percent (46/102) overall for the contest. They hit on just 11-of-35 (31.4%) 3-point attempts. Even more important, SAC only had 12 attempts from the free throw line and converted just seven of those shots. Having just 12 free throw opportunities indicates that the Kings were not attacking the bucket.

Sacramento had just 14 fast break points in the game while the Rockets posted 17. When the opponent has more fast break points, the Kings are in serious trouble which they were on Saturday night.

The Rockets played their game to perfection

Hou Capela = 88

Kings radio broadcaster Gary Gerould described the Houston game as “pick and roll, isolation and deep 3-point shots.” The Rockets did all three of those things to perfection on Saturday night.

The Rockets shot 56.8-percent (46/81) for the game. They converted 20-of-47 (42.6%) of their 3-point shots. Houston hit 20-of-24 (83.3%) of their free throw attempts. Chris Paul tied his career-high with six 3-point baskets made in the game.

Houston dictated the action by playing the game according to their game plan while forcing the Kings to play a style other than their uptempo–run them out of the arena plan.

Key Kings Numbers

  • Buddy Hield leading scorer with 23 points, shooting 10-for-17
  • De’Aaron Fox posted 19 points, going 2-for-4 from downtown
  • Marvin Bagley III played 27-plus minutes and put 16 points in the book
  • Bogdan Bogdanovic scored 14 points and had 5 assists in just 20 minutes
  • Every King in uniform appeared in the game on Saturday night
  • The Kings are now 8-8 for the season

Houston Stats

  • James Harden was the game’s leading scorer with 34 points
  • Clint Capela posted a double-double with 23 points and 16 rebounds
  • CP3 put up 24 points with 6-of- his 7 buckets being 3-pointers
  • Gerald Green scored 17 points in just 13:40 of playing time
  • The Rockets biggest lead in the game was 26 points
  • Houston is now 8-7 this season

The Kings are in the midst of controversy

Hou Joerger

Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports reported that Kings’ head coach Dave Joerger could be on the “hot seat” for not playing younger players like Marvin Bagley III in favor of players like Nemanja Bjelica in order to get wins. Haynes premise was that Joerger was not following the script of developing young talent such Bagley, Harry Giles III, and Skal Labbissiere.

After the game, Kings general manager Vlade Divac issued a statement stating support for Joerger and his confidence in him.

Warriors play better, but lose to the Mavericks 112-109

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Photo credit: @warriors

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Warriors, hoping to rebound after playing a poor game in Houston Thursday night, played a Saturday thriller at the American Airlines Center against the rapidly improving Dallas Mavericks. The game was in doubt until the final seconds of the fourth quarter. Dallas made the plays, and their defense stopped the Warriors’ offense down the stretch to come away with the win 112-109.

The Warriors’ offense came to life after a dismal showing in Houston. There were a lot of bright spots for Steve Kerr’s team. The Warriors were without the services of Steph Curry, Draymond Green, and Alfonzo McKinnie Saturday. Kerr started Kevon Looney in place of Damian Jones at center. Jonas Jerebko played in Green’s spot, and Andre Iguodala started at guard. Jerebko played very well. He scored just five points, but he was a force on the boards all night long. Jonas pulled down 10 boards and had 4 assists. The Warrior bench players Damian Lee, Quinn Cook, and Shaun Livingston made major contributions. Cook had 15, Lee had 13, and Livingston had 12.

The Mavs won their fourth in a row. Dallas has been in a rebuild mode for a couple of seasons, and the players they added to the team have added to their success. The Mavs’ feature Luka Doncic, who is a 19-year-old rookie. Doncic came into the game averaging 19 points a game. He showed the Warriors that he knows how to play the game and he finished the night leading Dallas with 24 points. The Mavs signed Deandre Jordan as a free agent. Jordan played for the LA Clippers and wanted out of LA. He has improved his free throw shooting and was a force under the boards. Former Warrior, Harrison Barnes, who is in his third year in Dallas, torched his ex-teammates for 23 points.

Dallas won the first quarter 26-22. The Warriors fell behind early and trailed 18-10 before making a run on offense. Kevin Durant was the offensive force in the quarter.

The Warriors, with Lee, Cook, and Livingston coming off the bench, outscored the Mavs 37-31 in the second quarter to finish the first half with the lead 59-57. Durant led the scorers with 18. Thompson had 13, while Lee had 11 in 10 minutes of action, and Livingston had 8. Barnes had 15 to lead the Mavs. Luca Doncic added 14 and Jordan had 8.

The Warriors finished the third quarter with a four-point lead 86-82. Quinn Cook made two 3-point shots to spark the offense, The Warriors increased the lead to 8 90-82 early in the fourth quarter. With the score 92-85, the Mavs went on an 8-0 run to regain the lead. Both teams refused to wilt. The Warriors led 106-105 when Dallas hit a two-pointer to lead 107-106 with 1:42 left to play. Andre Iguodala made a clutch basket to put the Warriors ahead 108-107. Dallas scored the next five points and led 112-108 with six seconds left. Durant was fouled. The Warriors needed Durant to make the first free throw, which he did. The Warriors only hope was for Durant to miss the free throw, grab the rebound, and make a three to tie the game. Durant missed the free throw, but Doncic grabbed the rebound and Dallas celebrated the 112-109 win.

Game Notes and Stats: The Warriors have lost three of the last four games played and are 12-5 for the year. Dallas won its fourth in a row, and the team is now 7-8.

Durant finished with 32 and Thompson had 22. Both starts missed 3-pointers down the stretch.

Up Next: The Warriors travel to San Antonio to face the Spurs on Sunday at 4:00 pm PT.

Close but no cigar for Kings in Memphis; Grizzlies beat SAC 112-104 Friday night

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Griz Pix
Photo: @NBA

by Charlie O. Mallonee

The Sacramento Kings kicked off a two-game mini road trip in Memphis on Friday night as they went up against the rival Grizzlies. Why are they the rival Grizzlies you ask? Because Kings head coach Dave Joerger was the head man in Memphis before he became “the man” in SAC. That makes the Grizzlies an automatic rival for the Kings and a  must win for the men in “royal purple” every time they play the team from the city that “Elvis made famous”.

Memphis (9-5) showed the basketball world why they call the FedEx Forum “the Grind House” as they defeated the Kings 112-104. The Grizzlies opened up an 11 point lead just before halftime and they managed to keep that lead throughout the second half all the way to the final buzzer. Sacramento would make mini-runs and close up the score, but the Griz would then “bump and grind” their way back to a 10 point plus lead. 

Memphis used a combination of power basketball under the rim, strong rebounding on offense and well-timed 3-point shooting to beat the Kings (8-7). Both teams had four of their five starters score in double figures.

It was veteran – rookie combo that led Memphis to victory

Griz alt pic
Photo: @memgrizz

Jaren Jackson Jr. – the fourth overall pick in the 2018 draft out of Michigan State – was the leading scorer in the game with 27 points. The 6-foot-11 power forward hit on 11-of-16 shots from the floor including one 3-point basket. The big rookie also converted 4-of-6 opportunities from the free throw line. Jackson added six rebounds, four steals and two blocked shots in starring effort for the Grizzlies.

The key player for the Grizzlies was Marc Gasol – who is in his 11th season with Memphis. Gasol posted 19 points shooting 7-for-12 overall and hitting 2-of-6 from behind the arc. The Grizzlies big man made it a double-double game by grabbing 15 rebounds. Six of those rebounds came off the offensive glass helping to set up second-chance opportunities. 

Sacramento was paced by the usual suspects

Griz start 5
Photo: @SacramentoKings

De’Aaron Fox was the Kings, high scorer, and only player to record a double-double in the contest. Fox recorded 23 points and dished out 10 assists in the game. The second-year player shot 8-for-17 from the field but went just 1-for-5 from long range. Fox took advantage of free throw opportunities sinking 6-of-8 chances from the line.

Buddy Hield put 16 points in the book by hitting 50-percent of his shots (6-for-12). Hield buried 2-of-4 3-point attempts. He also added four rebounds, three assists, two steals and one blocked shot.

Bogdan Bogdanovic came off the bench to put up 12 points in just under 24 minutes of play. He hit 5-of 10 shots from the field and scored on 2-of-4 3-point opportunities. Bogi also added two assists as he continues to look stronger in each game since returning after an off-season knee procedure. 

Other notable Kings performances: Shumpert 12 points, Cauley-Stein 11 points, Bjelica 8 and Bagley 7. No doubt MBIII would have liked to have performed better versus his fellow draft class member Jackson, Jr., but he will have another chance this season to match up against the number four draft selection.

Joerger’s perspective

“We ran into a very good team. They were focused and ready to go. After they played at our place a couple a weeks ago, we knew this was coming. They were locked in. They were physical. They got after us. They forced 21 turnovers which is way too many for us. Mike (Conley) and Marc (Gasol) set the tone for the game. They’re playing well. 

It’s all in the numbers

  • Memphis outscored SAC 54-42 in the paint
  • The Grizzlies won the battle of 2nd Chance Points 15-8
  • The Kings outran the Griz scoring 37 Fast Break Points to just 13 for Memphis
  • Memphis shot 50.6% (43/85) for the game
  • The Kings had 23 assists and 21 turnovers (17 Memphis points)
  • 24 – the number of Free Throw Attempts each team had in the contest

Up next for SAC

The Kings will wrap up this quick two-game road trip on Saturday night in Houston (7-7). Tipoff is scheduled for 5:00 PM PT.