Category: NBA

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.

 

Warriors play an ugly game, lose to the Rockets 107-86

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Photo credit: @warriors

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Golden State Warriors started a three-game trip in Texas with a thud. The Warriors, without the services of Steph Curry for the next five games, could not get their offense going and they lost to the Houston Rockets 107-86 at the Toyota Center on Thursday night.

The Rockets, who lost to the Warriors last season in the Western Conference Finals, had circled the date they would play them in the new season. The Rockets have not looked like the team that had the best record in the NBA last season. The Warriors played a sound game on defense, but their offense went into the deep freeze. The Warriors’ Big Three of Kevin Durant, Draymond Green, and Klay Thompson were expected to provide the firepower the Warriors needed if they were to win. The Rockets’ defense double-teamed Kevin Durant all night long. Neither Draymond or Klay could pick up the slack. The Warriors made just four 3-point shots while the Rockets connected 16 times.

The Warriors grabbed an early 8-1 lead in the first quarter. They led 15-8 until Houston went on an 8-0 run to take the lead 16-15. The Rockets took the lead for good when they hit a three to take a 19-17 advantage. The Rockets finished the quarter leading 25-19. The Warriors and Rockets each scored 22 points in the second period and the Rockets still led by six at the end of the first half 47-41. Durant led the Warriors with 13. Thompson and Jonas Jerebko each had six. James Harden led the Rockets with 15. Clint Capela had 6, Chris Paul 8, and Eric Gordon added 10.

The Warriors held the Rockets to 36% from the floor, but the Rockets took seven more shots than the Warriors.

The Warriors could not get the offense going in the second half. They were not running the fast break. They were not making three-point shots. They were completely out of sync. They turned the ball over. The Rockets outscored them 29-22 in the third quarter and led 76-63. The way the Warriors were playing did not indicate that they could overcome a 13-point deficit.

Thompson started the fourth quarter with a bucket. The Rockets went on a 21-0 run to put the game out of reach. The Warriors’ head coach Steve  Kerr inserted his bench players, and the Big Three watched the finish of the game from the bench. The Rockets cruised to an easy 107-86 win.

Game Notes and Stats: The Warriors had an opportunity to win the game had they had an offense. The Rockets were averaging just 101 points on offense so far this year. Their defense had allowed 102 points per game. The Warriors did not do it, and their record dropped to 12-4. Houston improved to 7-7.

Durant led the Warriors with 20 points. Kevon Looney was second with 12, Quinn Cook had 11, and Thompson finished with 10. Most of Cook’s points came in garbage time.

Harden led the Rockets with 27. Eric Gordon had 17, Clint Capela, 10, and Chris Paul 10.

Up Next: The Warriors play the Dallas Mavericks Saturday night in Dallas. Game time will be at 5 pm PT.

Headline Sports with London Marq: Arguing on the court, closed door locker drama, team is struggling on the floor, or is there nothing to see here?

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Photo credit: @morrisgriffin_

On the Headline Sports podcast with London:

#1 Are the Golden State Warriors finally melting down after years of success and starting to soften their foundation after Draymond Green got into a jawing match with team superstar Kevin Durant in Golden State’s loss to the Los Angeles Clippers on Monday night?

#2 The Warriors had lost two of their last three before Tuesday night. Green sat out Tuesday night’s game against Atlanta for misconduct and will lose $120,480 pay.

#3 Has this team that has been so successful for at least the last four years start to show cracks? Green has been noted as the most vocal on the team.

#4 Durant, Klay Thompson, and DeMarcus Cousins are scheduled to be free agents next season even with their success. Can these players be leaving and will the Durant-Green argument be a distraction for Golden State?

#5 They were arguing and dissension was on the sidelines on Monday night amongst them Green with Durant, Green with DeMarcus Cousins. Does Green need to sit down and shut up?

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

Warriors take down the Hawks 110-103

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Photo credit: @warriors

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Golden State Warriors returned home to face the Atlanta Hawks Tuesday night at Oracle Arena. The Warriors, still missing Steph Curry, had to face the young Hawks team minus their All-Star forward Draymond Green. Green and Kevin Durant had a verbal confrontation last night late in the game against the Los Angeles Clippers. The dispute spilled over into the clubhouse and was still not resolved on the flight home. The Warriors’ management suspended Green without pay for one game. The reason given was that Green had “committed conduct detrimental to the team.” The Warriors had to come back from the loss to LA and regroup. They did not play well in the first half, but played Warrior basketball in the second half to outlast the Hawks 110-103.

The Hawks, who are in rebuild mode, hired Lloyd Pierce as their coach after Mike Budenholzer resigned. Budenholzer had the worst year of his career with Atlanta last season and moved on to coach the Milwaukee Bucks. Pierce inherited a young team with players that are not yet well-known in the league. The Hawks do have on their roster two former Warrior players: Kent Bazemore, and Jeremy Lin. Another familiar name is the 41-year-old veteran, Vince Carter. The Hawks feature rookie Trae Young, who came into the game averaging 18 points per game. Taurean Prince and Alex Len are two names that are not well known in Oakland, but both players performed well against the Warriors Tuesday night.

The Hawks frustrated the Warrior offense in the first quarter as they held the Warriors to just 20 points. They outscored the Warriors by three to lead 23-20, and the fans in the stands were starting to squirm as the Warriors’ offense sputtered through most of the game Monday night in Los Angeles. The two teams scored 29 points in the second quarter, and the first half ended with Atlanta ahead 52-49. The Hawks held the Warriors to just 39.5% shooting from the floor. Durant led the offense with 15. Klay Thompson, who scored 7 in the first half against LA, was held to 9 points Tuesday night. Jonas Jerebko hit two three-point shots and finished the half with 8. Quinn Cook had 7, and Jordan Bell added 6. Atlanta was led by Carter and Prince. Each player had 11. Alex Len had 8, Bazemore 7, and Deandre Bembry kicked in with 8.

Warriors’ head coach Steve Kerr must have told the team to get their act together and play Warrior basketball during the halftime intermission.  The third quarter started with Atlanta increasing the lead to five 54-49. With Atlanta, ahead 58-55, the Warrior offense came to life as they went on a 17-2 run to grab a 10-point lead 70-60. The Hawks refused to bend, and they were to end the third quarter trailing by six 82-76. The Hawks still had a chance to upset the Warriors.

The Warriors were determined not to lose. The offense was sparked by Thompson, Durant, Cook, Jonas Jerebko, and Andre Iguodala. The Warriors expanded the lead to 14 101-87, but had to hold on for dear life as Atlanta kept coming back. The Hawks cut the deficit to five 106-101 with 1 minute and 41 seconds left to play. Durant scored the next 4 points, and the Warriors held off the Hawks 110-103

Game Notes and Stats:  With the win, the Warriors improve to 12-3, while the Hawks’ record drops to 3-11.

Kevin Durant paced the Warriors with 29 points, 6 boards, and 3 assists. Jonas Jerebko had a double-double with 14 points and 13 rebounds, which was a career-high. Jerebko knocked down four 3-point shots. Klay Thompson finished with 24. Quinn Cook had 18.

The Atlanta attack was led by Taurean Prince’s 22 points. Alex Len had 14, Bazemore 18, Bembry 13, Carter 11, and Jeremy Lin 10. The Hawks’ outstanding rookie, Trae Young, was held to just 4 points.

The Warriors finished the night shooting 42.9% from the floor. They made 12 three-point shots in 27 attempts.

Up Next: The Warriors head to Texas for 3 games in 4 nights. They start the trip with against the Houston Rockets Thursday at 5:00 pm PT. They’ll then play Dallas on Saturday at 5:30 pm PT and the San Antonio Spurs Sunday at 4:00 pm PT.

Foxy and Fast: Kings end 14-game losing streak to the Spurs

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sacbee.com photo: Kings guard Bogdan Bogdanovic passes to a teammate as San Antonio Spurs forward Rudy Gay, right, defends Monday at Golden 1 Center. Bogdanovic led the Kings with 22 points in a 104-99 victory

By Morris Phillips

SACRAMENTO — If one element stands out–and all of them were on display Monday–in the Kings’ NBA resurgence, it’s De’Aaron Fox’s ability to shoot the basketball.

Fox’s 3-pointer with 4:38 remaining was the first of consecutive 3-pointers that put the Kings up 98-90, propelling them to a 104-99 win over the Spurs, their first win after 14 consecutive losses to the traditional Western Conference power.

Fox finished with 19 points on 7 of 9 shooting, and again was the pace leader in the Kings’ high-octane attack that kept the San Antonio defense on its heels for the majority of the night. Six of the 10 Kings that saw action scored in double figures led by Bogdan Bogdanovic with 22 points.

The Kings improved to 8-6, winning after a disappointing home loss to the Lakers on Saturday, and for now, kept their name above the line in the conference playoff stack, one-half game ahead of the Jazz, Lakers and Pelicans.

“We have to defend home, you know? We slipped up and missed one last game so this one was a must-win mentality coming in,” Willie Cauley-Stein said.

The Spurs were without Paul Gasol, Lonnie Walker IV and Dejounte Murray, but saw the return of former King Rudy Gay, who had missed the previous three games with a heel injury. The Spurs missed 21 of 31 3-point attempts in a game that was statistically even in most other categories.

“We’ve got to be able to fight through and win on the road,” Dante Cunningham said.”

Fox turned heads nationally with his triple-double on November 1, making him the youngest player in NBA history to record one with 30 points and 15 assists or better. But quietly, his overall consistency shooting the basketball may be a bigger story. After shooting 41 percent from the field, and 30 percent from three last season, Fox has seen those numbers take a significant jump (49 percent, 41 percent from three).

With Fox’s superior speed, the improved shooting makes the second-year point guard a matchup nightmare. Matched up with Bryn Forbes and Patty Mills on Monday, Fox was too much to handle for the Spurs, who fell to 7-5.

Warriors fall to the Clippers 121-116 in OT

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Photo credit: nba.com/warriors

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Warriors played the Los Angeles Clippers at the Staples Center on Monday night. They were on the short end of the score as the Clippers beat them 121-116 in overtime. This Clipper team, coached by Doc Rivers, does not resemble the Clippers of past seasons. Guard Chris Paul was traded to Houston before the start of the season last year. Blake Griffin was sent to Detroit halfway through the 2017-18 season, and center DeAndre Jordan is now with Dallas.

The revamped Clipper lineup now features Marcin Gortat at center. Gortat came to LA when the Clippers sent guard Austin Rivers to Washington. Forwards Danilo Gallinari and Tobias Harris have led the Clippers in scoring. Gallinari is averaging 19.4 point-per-game, and Harris ‘ average is slightly better with 20.4 PPG. Patrick Beverley and Shai Gilfeous-Alexander hold down the guard positions. Montrezel Harrell and Lou Williams are the key players coming off the bench for LA.

The Warriors fell behind early in the first quarter and the only time they didn’t trail in the entire game was when they tied the score at 28 with 2:21 left in the first quarter. The Clippers regained the lead and led by four, 34-30, after the first 12 minutes of action.

The second quarter was more of the same. The Clippers maintained the lead and every time the Warriors closed the gap, the Clippers responded with a bucket. The Warriors trailed by two 57-53 with 3:32 to play in the first half. LA increased the lead to 60-55, but the Warriors cut the lead to one 62-61 on a Kevin Durant 3-pointer. LA responded with a bucket and finished the first half ahead 64-61.

Durant was the only Warrior in double figures in the first half. He finished the half with 21 points. Klay Thompson was second with seven. Thompson went cold and was 3-for-11 in the half. Quinn Cook had 4, Kevon Looney 6, and Andre Iguodala 7.

The Clippers had four starters in double-digits. Gortat had 10, Gallinari 12, Harris, 11, Gilgeous-Alexander 10, and Harrell had 9 coming off the bench.

Thompson hit a bucket to start the third quarter, and the Warriors trailed by one. The Clippers went on a 6-0 run and led 70-63. The Warriors could not get anything going as LA continued to outplay them on both ends of the court. The Warriors, who had just three turnovers in the first half, turned the ball over eight times. There was no spark in their play. With 1:26 left, Kevin Durant had to sit down as he committed his fifth foul. Things looked bad as there was no one to pick up the slack on offense and the defense could not stop the Clippers. The Clippers led 90-81 after three quarters.

LA continued to take the game to the Warriors. They led by 13, 103-90, as the game was winding down. Warriors’ coach Steve Kerr inserted Durant back into the game and the Warriors, behind Thompson and Durant, went on a 16-5 run to tie the game at 106 as time ran out and the game went to overtime.

The Warriors went ahead 109-106 when Andre Iguodala knocked down a three. With 3:53 to play, the referees called a foul on Durant, and he was done for the night. Thompson hit a three to put the Warriors up 111-108. The Clippers came back and tied the game. The Warriors tied it again at 113. The Warriors’ nemesis, Lou Williams, made a two-point shot, but was fouled on the play. Williams made the free throw. The Clips increased the lead to 116-113, but Thompson connected on another three to tie it at 116. The Warriors did not score again. Williams scored the last five points of the night, and the Clippers won 121-116.

Game Notes and Stats: Steph Curry did not play Monday night. However, Draymond Green and Shaun Livingston returned to action.

With the loss, the Warriors are now 11-3 for the year, and the Clippers are now 8-5. The new-look Clippers beat both the Milwaukee Bucks and the Warriors in overtime.

Kevin Durant had a monster night for Golden State in a losing effort. He knocked down 33 points, recorded 11 rebounds, and had 9 assists.

Klay Thompson scored 31. Thompson had seven in the first half and got hot late in the game to score 24 in the second half.

Andre Iguodala was the only other Warrior in double figures with 14.

The Clippers had four starters in double-digits: Gortat had 12, Gallinari 14, Harris 17, Gilgeous-Alexander 18, Montrezel Harrell, who came to LA from Houston in the trade for Chris Paul, had a big night with 23 point and 8 rebounds. Lou Williams kicked in with 25. Williams had 11 from the floor and was 14 for 14 from the 3-point line.

Up Next: The Warriors return home to host the Atlanta Hawks on Tuesday night at 7:30 pm PT.

Lakers ruin the Kings’ Saturday night, winning game in Sacramento 101-86

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LAL vs SAC

By Charlie O. Mallonee

SACRAMENTO — The Kings lost the second game of a back-to-back set to the Los Angeles Lakers 101-86 on Saturday night. The loss dropped the Kings record to 7-6 for the season. The Lakers improved to 6-6 for the year. The 15-point loss was the largest margin of defeat at home for Sacramento this season.

Charlie O has the wrap up of the game:

 

Kings head coach Dave Joerger was still proud of his team in the loss:

Team leader De’Aaron Fox was very subdued when talking with reporters after the game:

Frank Mason III quietly tried to explain his team’s performance in the game:

Marvin Bagley III had a calm and mature reaction to the loss:

Charlie O has the Lakers’ stats, which were not all that impressive:

Charlie O also has the Kings’ numbers and final thoughts:

Game notes:

  • The Lakers had a season-high 59 rebounds in the contest
  • LakeShow also had a season-high 17 offensive rebounds, which led to 17-second-chance points
  • The Kings are now 4-2 in back-to-back games
  • Willie Cauley-Stein posted his fifth double-double of the season with 12 points and 12 rebounds
  • After the game, the Kings announced that Harry Giles III has been assigned to the Stockton Kings of the G-League and will play with Stockton on Sunday. That really is not a surprise. The Kings have used their G-League team to get rookies playing time in the past when they have not been able to get significant minutes with the big club. This most certainly is a temporary assignment.

Durant leads the Warriors over the Nets 116-100

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by Jerry Feitelberg

Oakland- The Golden State Warriors, missing three key players, Steph Curry, Draymond Green, and Shaun Livingston, bounced back from a humiliating loss to the Milwaukee Bucks Thursday night to defeat the visiting Brooklyn Nets 116-100. The Nets, under coach Kenny Atkinson, arrived in town with a 6-6 record and they beat the Denver Nuggets in the Mile-High City last night. The Nets, with players that are not well known to Warriors fans, had a starting lineup with four players averaging 12 to 20 points a game. Guard Chris LeVert leads the Nets with a 20.3 points-per-game average. D’Angelo Russell, the former LA Laker, averages 16. Joe Harris is at 13.2 point-per-game, and Jarrett Allen enters the game slightly under 12 points a game.

Warriors’ backup point guard, Quinn Cook, started his first game of the year in place of the injured Steph. Curry. Also, head coach Steve Kerr needed either Klay Thompson or Kevin Durant to pick up for the injured Draymond Green. Green, a force on defense as well as one on offense, missed his second game in a row due to a toe injury. Durant responded to the challenge as he finished the night with a double-double. Durant knocked down 28 points and recorded 11 assists and had five rebounds. Klay Thompson poured in 24 and Cook kicked in with 25 points, 4 rebounds, and 5 assists.

Brooklyn took the lead early in the first quarter. The Warriors led 5-4, but Brooklyn grabbed the lead and was ahead 18-13. At this point, the Warrior offense started to rev up. The Warriors closed the gap to 20-19. They regained the lead 22-20 but the Nets came back, and the game was tied twice once at 22 and the second time at 24. Jordan Bell made two key buckets to give the advantage to Golden State 30-24, and The Warriors finished the quarter 36-30.

The Warriors were able to increase the lead to 12 at the end of the first half. The Warriors could not shake the Nets as they tied the game at 44. The Warriors then went on a 21-9 run to finish the first half ahead 65-53. Durant and Cook led the Warriors with 19 each. Klay Thompson had 10, and Jonas Jerebko added 6. Joe Harris led the Nets with 19. D’Angelo Russell added 12 and Spencer Dinwiddie, coming off the bench, had 8. The Warriors defense held the Nets to 43.2% from the floor while the Warriors were 65.8%.

The Warriors, as they have done so many times, dominated the third quarter. The offense put 29 points on the board, and the defense held the Nets to 21. The Warriors finished the third quarter with a twenty-point advantage 94-74. The Warriors were in command 111-90 when Kerr removed his regulars and let the bench warmers, and three players called up from the G-League to finish the game.  The Warriors win 116-100.

Game notes and stats- The Warriors big three of Kevin Durant, Klay Thompson, and Quinn Cook scored eighty of the Warriors 116 points. KD had 28, Cook 25, and Klay had 24. Damian Jones and Jonas Jerebko each had 8. Jordan Bell and Andre Iguodala kicked in with five apiece and Alfonzo McKinnie, who played well on defense, scored four.

The Nets’ Joe Harris led his team with 24. D’Angelo Russell was held scoreless in the second, and he finished with 12. Dinwiddie had 14 and Shabazz Napier, also coming off the bench, had 14. The Warriors defense stifled Jarrett Allen and Chris LeVert. Allen ended the night with six and LeVert was held to just 4.

The Warriors improved to 11-2, and the Nets Dropped to 6-7. The Warriors travel to Los Angeles to face the Clippers Monday night at the Staples Center. The Warriors return home to face the Atlanta Hawks Tuesday night at Oracle Arena.

 

Kings bounce back with 121-110 win over the Timberwolves

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Photo credit: @SacramentoKings

By: Jeremiah Salmonson

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The Sacramento Kings came into Friday night’s game coming off their fifth loss of the year. The Kings were beaten by the Toronto Raptors on Wednesday by a final of 114-105. On Friday, the Kings looked to get back on track and beat the Minnesota Timberwolves. Based on the standings, the Kings are were favored to win the game. Prior to Friday’s game, the Kings were 6-5 and the Timberwolves were 4-8. The tip-off was set for 7 pm PST in smokey California.

The first few minutes of the game did not go as planned for the Kings. The Kings had some open looks in the first few minutes but it proved fruitless. With nearly half of the minutes gone in the first, the Kings had only three points. The Kings were able to slip the script in the final minutes of the first. They were able to put an additional 26 points on the board to bring the game within two points. After the first, the Timberwolves led the Kings 31-29.

The second quarter would prove a little more even-keeled. Other than the fact that Karl-Anthony Towns went off, the quarter was relatively quiet for the Timberwolves. Towns put a monster 29 points on the board in the first half. The Kings, on the other hand, kept pace. Led by Willie Cauley-Stein and Iman Shumpert the Kings were able to make it a 63-61 Kings advantage after two quarters. Willie Cauley-Stein had 17 and Iman Shumpert had 12.

The third quarter was the Kings’ quarter. They have proven that so far this year and they did it again on Friday. Nemenja Bjelica contributed 10 points and led the Kings to a strong third. The Timberwolves managed to score 20 points but the Kings scored 29 to expand the lead. The third quarter finished 92-81 Kings up.

The Kings were 12 minutes away from a 7-5 record. The only question was if they could hold the lead. That was in jeopardy halfway through the fourth quarter. The Timberwolves had cut the lead to eight points and clearly had the momentum. So, with 5:55 remaining in the game, Dave Joerger called a timeout. The timeout didn’t appear to do much good. The Timberwolves scored six unanswered points to make it 106-108.

With the game on the line, the Kings put up a pair of defensive stops and were able to make baskets on the other end. With two minutes to play the Kings were up 115-106. From there, the game was the Timberwolves to lose and the Kings did the opposite. The Kings managed to hold things together and pull out a 121-110 win.

The Kings improved to 7-5 and the Timberwolves fell to 4-9.

Up Next: The LA Lakers come to town for the first time in the LeBron James era. Tip-off is set for Saturday night at 7 pm PST.