Category: NBA

Kings’ Late Rally Falls Short as Jokic, Nuggets Hand Sacramento 124-116 Loss

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

The Kings play the Nuggets in Golden 1 Center on Wednesday night (Photo: Sacramento Kings on X)

By Jeremiah Salmonson

SACRAMENTO — The Sacramento Kings were back home on Wednesday night to take on Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets. The Kings were fresh off a 3-3 road trip, while Denver was fresh off firing long-tenured head coach Mike Malone. Malone was the coach for Denver for 10 seasons, and former Kings head coach Rick Adelman’s son, David Adelman, took over on an interim basis in Denver.

The Kings lost to Denver 124-116 on Wednesday night. 

In the first quarter, the Kings got off to a slow start. The Kings’ offense was only able to score 25 points, as Denver managed to put up 33 in the opening period. We saw early sightings of Doug McDermott and Devin Carter in the game, as Doug Christie was going deep into his bench due to the injuries to Jake LaRavia and Malik Monk.

In the second quarter, the Kings matched the intensity from Denver. Both the Kings and the Nuggets scored 33 points in the quarter, as Denver took a 66-58 lead into halftime. The Kings did not see any player reach double figures in the first half, while Denver had four players with double-digit points at the break. The Kings felt outmatched in the opening half and would need to significantly increase their scoring to take the game from Denver.

In the third, the Nuggets continued their steady barrage on the Kings. The Nuggets outscored the Kings 27-25, expanding their lead heading into the final frame, 93-83. The Kings weren’t losing by much, but slowly, over the course of the game, the lead ballooned.

In the fourth, the Kings made a run but ultimately weren’t able to seal the deal as they fell to Denver, 124-116. The Kings managed to pull within four points at 108-104 with just over four minutes left in the game. However, that would be the last run the Kings made, as Denver sealed the deal shortly afterward. The Kings outscored the Nuggets in the fourth quarter, 33-31, but it was too little, too late.

The Kings were led in the defeat by Zach LaVine, who scored 27 points on 10-20 shooting from the floor. Denver was led by Nikola Jokic, who scored 20 points to go along with 12 rebounds and 11 assists.

With the loss, the Kings remain one game up on the 10th-seed Dallas Mavericks.

Up Next: The Kings stay home to take on the LA Clippers on Friday at 7 PM PST in Sacramento.

NBA podcast Michael Roberson Thu Mar 10, 2025: Lakers Doncic says trash talking was directed at fan not ref; Grizzlies Wells has broken wrist in scary fall; plus more NBA news

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Doncic (77) drives on the Oklahoma City Thunder guard Carson Wallace right at at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City on Tue Apr 8, 2025. Doncic was ejected for yelling at a fan but the official thought it was directed at him and Doncic was ejected. (AP News photo)

NBA podcast Michael Roberson Thu Mar 10, 2025:

#1  Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Doncic says he trash talking courtside with a fan when an official thought Doncic’s talking was directed at him and ejected Doncic. Doncic said he has never been fan ejected before and that if a fan is going to talk he’s going to talk back.

#2 Memphis Grizzlies guard Jaylen Wells took a frightening fall and suffered a broken wrist. Wells who is up to make the NBA All Rookie team selection. Wells was averaging 10.5 points with 3.4 rebounds in 79 games for the 2024-25 campaign.

#3 The Denver Nuggets who fired head coach Michael Malone and general manager Calvin Booth Tuesday shocked a lot of front office, players, media and fans. Malone was a championship coach for the Nuggets. The Nuggets are 47-32. They had lost four straight games and may not make the play in and snapped the losing streak with a win over the Sacramento Kings on Wednesday. Dave Adelman who was the Nuggets lead assistant has taken over as had coach for the rest of the season.

#4 What happened to the Minnesota Timberwolves had a 24 point lead and blew the game when the Milwaukee Bucks came back and scored 39-8 in the last ten minutes of the game to stun the Timberwolves 110-103. The loss ended a five game winning streak for the Timberwolves.

#5 The Cleveland Cavaliers the hottest team in the NBA at 63-16 and have won seven of their last ten games The Cavaliers are getting a lot of help from their leading scorers Darius Garland and Evan Mobley. The Cavaliers handled the Chicago Bulls with a convincing win on Tuesday night 135-113.

Michael Roberson does the NBA podcasts Thursdays at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Golden State Warriors podcast David Zizmor: Warriors crush Suns 133-95 at Footprint Center; Golden State wins 7th out of last 10

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

Apr 8, 2025; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker (1) reacts after a play against the Golden State Warriors during the first half at Footprint Center. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images / Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Golden State Warriors podcast David Zizmor:

#1 The Golden State Warriors just blitzed the Phoenix Suns with a landslide win 133-95. The Warriors just jumped all over the Suns with leading scorers Stephen Curry 25 points and Brandin Podziemski with 22 points .

#2 The Suns just couldn’t get any traction going and their leading scorer Devin Booker who scored 21 points followed by Ryan Dunn and Grayson Allen both finishing with 12.

#3 Warriors host the San Antonio Spurs on Wednesday night for a 7:00pm tip. The Spurs have lost their last two games and are 13th place in the Western Conference 32-46.

Join David Zizmor Wednesdays for the Warriors podcasts at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Sacramento Kings podcast Tony Renteria: Kings looking to extend win streak; Nuggets looking to end 4 game skid; Both face off Wednesday

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

Sacramento Kings center Domantas Sabonis (11) tries to take a shot between the Detroit Pistons center Jalen Duren (0) and guard Cade Cunningham (2) in the first half at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit on Mon Apr 7, 2025 (AP News photo)

Sacramento Kings podcast Tony Renteria:

#1 Sacramento Kings Zach LaVine led the way with 43 points and had scored 17 of those points in the third quarter. The Kings DeMar DeRozan had 37 points and the Kings defeated the Detroit Pistons 127-117 at Little Caesars Arena on Monday night.

#2 The Kings have now won three straight and are vying for a chance for a first round home game in the play in tournament.

#3 The Kings Domantas Sabonis scored 19 points, had 15 rebounds and had 10 assists Sabonis has been key for the Kings all season and during this three game win streak.

#4 The Kings hold a one game lead over ninth place Dallas in the Western Conference. There starting to win games at the right time as the regular season winds down.

#5 The Kings host the Denver Nuggets at Ball Arena in Denver on Wednesday night. The Nuggets are struggling with a four game losing streak. They hold fourth place in the Western Conference if the Kings can continue to battle like they have this game could be for the ages as the Nuggets are fighting to get back in the win column and the Kings are trying to climb in the standings for that playoff spot.

Join Tony for the Kings podcasts Tuesdays at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

NBA podcast Michael Roberson: Cavaliers Mitchell to sit out with ankle injury; Blazer GM gets contract extension; plus more NBA news

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

Cleveland Cavaliers Donovan Mitchell (right) passes the ball as he is defended by the San Antonio Spurs forward Sandro Mamukelshvili (54) in the second half at Frost Bank Center on Fri Apr 4, 2025. Donovan injured his ankle on Sun Apr 6, 2025 against the Sacramento Kings in Cleveland. (AP News photo)

NBA podcast Michael Roberson:

#1  The Cleveland Cavaliers Donovan Mitchell will miss the next game against the Chicago Bulls Tuesday night. Mitchell injured his left ankle in a game in Sacramento on Sunday.

Mitchell stepped on the Sacramento King’s Keon Ellis’ foot at center court and lost his balance and rolled over on his left ankle. Mitchell was in pain and had to be escorted off the floor with the trainers to the dressing room.

#2 Portland Trail Blazers general manager Joe Cronin was given a multiyear deal with the Trail Blazers on Monday. The Blazers have improved to over 14 wins compared to this time last season. Portland has 35 wins this season an have gone 22-16 since Jan 19th.

#3 New York Knicks point guard Jalen Brunson who was out over a month returned last Sunday to face the Phoenix Suns scoring 15 points and getting six assists to help the Knicks to a 112-98 win. While it wasn’t Brunson’s best outing he hit three out of nine from the floor and miss some of his jump shots. Brunson is trying to get his rhythm and timing back.

#4 The Denver Nuggets have been snake bitten since losing to the Minnesota Timberwolves on April 1. The Nuggets now have lost three in row since that 140-139 loss. The loses have been piling up since losing to the San Antonio Spurs Apr 2, Golden State Warriors Apr 4, and Indiana Pacers Apr 6. You would think with all that talent they have they would have been able to snap out it by now?

#5 Some fan was getting smart with the Washington Wizards Marcus Smart and it turned into a shouting match. Smart said a fan crossed the line and was heckling the Wizards bench at TD Garden in Boston while the Wizards were playing the Boston Celtics. Smart a former Celtic said, “You never want to see that, especially for a guy who’s coming back and has given the city everything he has.”

Join Michael Roberson for the NBA podcasts weekly at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Kings Continue Winning Streak at 3 Beating Pistons 127-117

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

Sacramento Kings forward DeMar DeRozan left dribble drives past the Detroit Pistons forward Ausar Thompson (right) in the first half at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit on Mon Apr 7, 2025 (AP News photo)

By Barbara Mason

The Sacramento Kings (39-40) continue to impress beating the Detroit Pistons (43-36) 127-117. Zach LaVine had another monster game finishing with 43 points this time and DeMar DeRozan with 37. Domantas Sabonis finished with a triple double, 19 points, 10 assists and 15 rebounds. The Kings had trailed by as much as 18 points in the first half. Despite the back-to-back for the Kings they pushed through the fatigue to beat the Pistons.

Game recap: The Kings had a slight lead after the first 12 minutes of play 38-37 in a high scoring quarter. Both DeRozan and LaVine finished the opening quarter with double digits although the Kings did not seem to have the same energy they had Sunday night. Fatigue could be the culprit jumping on a plane after last night’s game and heading into Detroit to play again 24 hours later. The Pistons did not play Sunday night after losing to the Grizzlies Saturday night 109-103.

The Pistons took the lead in the second quarter and five minutes into the quarter had taken a 14 point lead. Sacramento took a time out looking to get a handle on this game before it really went sideways. Detroit had taken a 56-42 lead with 7:25 left in the half. Making matters worse for the Kings, Malik Monk was forced to leave the court and it was decided that he would not return for the remainder of the game with calf tightness.

Detroit continued to maintain their lead but was unable to extend it still leading by 14 through much of the quarter. The Kings had gone flat in the second quarter after a close first quarter of basketball. Sacramento, in the final minute of the second quarter, had cut the 18 point lead that the Pistons had to ten points. At the half, the Pistons had a 72-62 lead.

In this back-to-back game for the Kings the eight turnovers were really hurting them conceding 16 points on those turnovers. DeRozan had a great first half shooting for 22 points and was looking for help from Sabonis and LaVine in the second half.

With 33 seconds left in the third quarter the Kings tied the game and with 0.1 on the clock LaVine hit a 26-foot three to give Sacramento the lead 97-94.

LaVine had really come to life finishing the three quarters with 26 points. Sabonis already had a double double and was eyeing a triple double with eight assists. Jonas Valanciunas also had a double double with 11 rebounds and ten points.

The Kings got a hot start to open the fourth quarter with LaVine hitting three triples in the opening minutes. He was six of eight from beyond the arc and he had 35 points with a lot of game still left for more.

At 10:13 the Kings had a 106-102 lead. As the quarter wore on, both team were battling for this game with the Kings holding onto as much as a seven point lead. At the four minute mark Sacramento had a 117-112 lead.

Much like last night they were forced to finish the game and were looking to finish another game at the expense of Detroit in this tight ball game. With under three minutes left in the game, the Kings had a 119-112 lead.

The Pistons had gone cold; the Kings continued to extend their lead now leading 122-112. With under two minutes the Pistons finally scored and needed some stops trailing 114-125. Detroit didn’t get those stops and LaVine refused to back down continuing to play monster ball finishing with 43 points in the 127-117 win. He topped off the fourth quarter with his final three at 1:29.

The Kings cut down on their turnovers in the second half but it was (Heater) LaVine who could not miss from beyond the arc that turned the tide. He was eight of 11 and continues to have monster games as this season runs out.

DeMar DeRozan also had a great games finishing with 37 points and the fourth quarter was the dynamic duo of LaVine and DeRozan that brought this game home for the Kings third win in a row. They had erased an 18 point deficit in the first half and as Zach LaVine said “this was a do or die game.”

Game notes: Monday evening the Kings played their last road game of the 2024-2025 season taking on the Pistons in Detroit. The Kings continue to be without Keegan Murray who was a game time decision. It was decided that he was not quite ready to get back in action. Keon Ellis who was struggling with a sore hand was deemed able to rejoin the team as a starter. Trey Lyles started in the place of Keegan Murray. After a having a monster game Sunday night beating the Cavaliers, the Kings kept up the momentum and confidence they had in the Cleveland game with their win over the Pistons.

The Kings will now head home to Sacramento to finish up the season with their three final games at Golden 1. First up for the Kings will be a matchup with the Denver Nuggets with tipoff scheduled for 7:00 PM Wednesday night. The goal now for the Kings will be to get that ninth seed and home court advantage a very real possibility.

Sacramento Kings podcast Barbara Mason: Kings shock the NBA world beating basketball’s best Cavaliers twice in one season

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

The Cleveland Cavaliers guard Darius Garland (left) drives to the basket on the Sacramento Kings guard Keon Ellis (23) in first half action at Rocket Mortgage Arena in Cleveland on Sun Apr 6, 2025 (AP News photo)

Sacramento Kings podcast Barbara Mason:

#1 How shocking is that that the Sacramento Kings were able to pull off a win over the NBA’s best the Cleveland Cavaliers twice in one season?

#2 The Kings Zach LaVine scored 37 points, had 11 points in the crucial fourth quarter as the Kings defeated the Cavaliers on Sunday 120-113 at Rocket Mortgage Arena.

#3 The Kings DeMar DeRozan scored 28 points and Domantas Sabonis scored 27 points and had nine rebounds as the Kings picked up their second straight win and improved their position in the Western Conference to ninth place.

#4 The Cavaliers Ty Jerome’s 20 points were the most followed up by Donovan Mitchell 19. Jerome had been out since Mar 25th after missing five games with left knee tendinitis.

#5 It’s off to Detroit and the Pistons at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit. The Pistons are sixth in the Western Conference and have won six of their last ten games. The Kings are battling to try and get a playoff spot and the Pistons are a playoff team how do you see these two teams matching up for tonight’s game?

Join Barbara Mason for the Kings podcasts Mondays at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Kings Pull a Second Upset of the Cleveland Cavaliers 120-113

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

Sacramento Kings center Domantas Sabonis (11) take the ball to the hoop against the Cleveland Cavaliers center Jarrett Allen (31) and guard Max Strus (1) in the first half at Rocket Arena in Cleveland on Sun Apr 6, 2025 (AP News photo)

By Barbara Mason

Sunday afternoon the Sacramento Kings (37-40) pulled off a second upset of the Cleveland Cavaliers (62-15) this season 120-113. Zach LaVine came unhinged finishing with 37 points. He was on fire hitting seven triples going 7 of 11.

Demar DeRozan scored 28 points and Domantas Sabonis finished with 27. Sacramento hit 14 three’s. The Kings outscored the Cavaliers in the third quarter 35-22 setting the stage for the upset. This win will go a long way towards their fight for a playoff spot.

As this game finished up, the Phoenix Suns lost to the New York Knicks 112-98. The Suns loss gives the Kings a three-game lead for tenth place and they still have a shot to move into ninth place with a little help from the Mavericks.

Game recap: The Sacramento Kings had a great start in the opening quarter leading 31-27 after the first 12 minutes of play. Domantas Sabonis spearheaded a great start scoring 15 points with four rebounds.

Zach LaVine chipped in seven points and the Kings were waiting on DeMar DeRozan to get his engine working. It had been an excellent start for Sacramento and the true test for the Kings would be to keep the pressure on Cleveland and dictate the pace of the game going into the second quarter and beyond.

The Cavaliers took the lead throughout the second quarter and had led by as many as seven points. When the quarter came to an end, the Cavaliers had outscored Sacramento 30-25. The Kings had continued to shave the Cleveland lead and it paid off for them.

The Kings sure know what is at stake right now. and they were playing like it. At the buzzer Keon Ellis hit a triple (43-ft) to trail by a single point 56-57 as the first half came to an end. Sabonis continued to lead the scoring for Sacramento finishing the first half with 19 points and eight rebounds. Zach LaVine was following suit hitting 15 points and DeMar DeRozan was on the edge of double digits with eight points.

Going into the third quarter the Cavaliers hung onto the lead throughout most of the quarter until the final two minutes when the Kings turned it all around. With 53 seconds left on the clock, the Kings had taken a 10-point lead 87-77.

At the end of three quarters, the Sacramento Kings had taken a 91-79 lead. DeMar DeRozan had really heated up finishing the quarter with 19 points. Sacramento had to hold on for one more quarter to pull their second Cleveland upset of the season.

The Kings held on in the fourth quarter but the Cavaliers started to chip away at the Sacramento lead and at 7:47 it was a tie game at 96. The Kings were holding onto their lead but not extending it and they paid for it when the Cavaliers took the lead at 7:04 101-100.

For nearly the next two minutes this was a one-point game or tied with both teams trading the lead. At 6:06 the Kings had pushed back their lead to 105-101 and this game was going down to the wire. With under two minutes left in the game the Kings had taken a 116-111 lead in this nail-biter. As time expired, the Sacramento Kings had beaten the Cleveland Cavaliers for a second time this season.

Game notes: Sunday afternoon the Kings took on the hottest team in the NBA, the Cleveland Cavaliers and shocked the NBA world with a second win of the season over the Cavaliers .

The Kings finally got a win on Friday in Charlotte beating the lowly Hornets 125-102 and face a major challenge against the giants of the NBA. While the Kings were hardly favored in this game, they did beat Cleveland last month March 19 by the score of 123-119 in a thriller.

Sacramento were without the services of Keegan Murray who is out with a back issue. The Kings relied on Trey Lyles who had seven points and Doug McDermott who did not play but were around to pick up the slack in the front court.

While this game doesn’t have huge meaning for the Cavs a win would have meant a home court advantage for the duration of the playoffs. For the Kings this win means a whole lot more as they are fighting to retain their tenth place position in the Western Conference.

After this wild win, the Sacramento Kings will jump on a plane and head into Detroit to take on the Pistons on Monday night, their final road game of the regular season. Tipoff for the Detroit matchup is scheduled for 4:00 PM PDT at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit.

Kings Crush Hornets; Get Back On Track Winning 125-102

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

Charlotte Hornets Miles Bridges (10) brings the ball up court against the Sacramento Kings forward Keegan Murray (left) in the first half on Fri Apr 4, 2025 at the Spectrum Arena in Charlotte (AP News photo)

By Barbara Mason

The Sacramento Kings (37-40) put an end to a lengthy losing road streak beating the Charlotte Hornets (19-58) Friday night 125-102. They did it with their stars shining; Zach LaVine the leading scorer with 25 points, Domantas Sabonis with 24 and DeMar DeRozan with 22. Their bench put up good numbers scoring 46 points collectively.

The Kings continue to hang onto tenth place in the Western Conference. Their position became a little brighter today with the Suns losing to the Boston Celtics and dropping two full games behind the Kings.

Game recap: The first quarter of this game was all DeMar DeRozan who finished the opening quarter with 13 points. He is genius when it comes to drawing the foul and he successfully shot from the line throughout the first 12 minutes. Sacramento took a 26-18 lead into the second quarter.

The second quarter was lift-off for the Kings offensively taking as much as a 19 points lead. Sabonis, DeRozan and LaVine all had double digits as the quarter came to an end. Malik Monk also had 15 points off the bench as Sacramento went into the locker room at the half with a 68-49 lead. Monk was three of six from beyond the arc and Sabonis finished the half with 18 points. The Kings outscored the Hornets 42-31 in the second quarter.

The Kings continued to extend their lead in the third quarter leading going into the fourth quarter 98-72. They outscored the Hornets 30-23 in the quarter. Sabonis had a double double with 11 rebounds and 24 points very obviously back in top form after several injuries recently kept him sidelined for quite a few games.

The fourth quarter was a tough one for bench player Devon Carter. He played 14 minutes before fouling out having a lot of trouble guarding without fouling. Bench player Trey Lyles realized double digits mid-way through the final quarter and the Kings had total control in this game setting the pace from the second quarter on. The Hornets outscored the Kings in the fourth quarter 30-27 as the Kings starters sat for the final minutes of the game. The final was 125-102.

This was a great team effort for the Sacramento Kings. Zach LaVine had the game high with 25 points and 10 rebounds for the teams second double double. Domantas Sabonis had another double double with 11 rebounds and 24 points and DeMar DeRozan finished with 22. Malik Monk had a far improved game finishing with 17 points coming on strong after missing a number of game due to illness. Both he and Sabonis seemed to have gotten back into their stride.

Game notes: After a discouraging loss to the Washington Wizards Wednesday night, the Kings took it to the Hornets to end a miserable road game losing streak. The Kings won a game that they were highly favored to win.

After the loss Wednesday, all bets are off and the Kings need to put that game in their rear view and get down to the business of winning. With the starting roster that the Kings have and Jonas Valanciunas and Malik Monk off the bench, this team was able to put this game away before they head into some very challenging games which include the Cavaliers, the Nuggets, the Clippers and the Suns to finish off the season.

The Kings will finish the season with three home games the final game against the Phoenix Suns which could prove to be the most important game of the year for Sacramento depending on where the standings are in that last game.

Phoenix is one game behind the Kings right now and the win for Sacramento could go a long way towards a play-in spot. The Suns played the Celtics Friday night and Phoenix lost to the Celtics 123-103 which gives the Kings a two-game lead over the Suns. Where the Kings finish this season could be determined in their final season game.

The Sacramento Kings now have five games left in their season, two more on the road and their final three season games at Golden One. Next up for the Kings is a whopper playing the Cleveland Cavaliers Sunday with tipoff scheduled for 3:00 PM. The Kings beat the Cavs in their first season game last month 123-119.

Sacramento Kings podcast with Jeremiah Salmonson Fri Apr 4, 2025: Kings try to end 3 game skid tonight against Hornets

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

All the Sacramento Kings defense can do is watch is awe as the Washington Wizards forward Alex Sarr shoots over Kings guard Keon Ellis (23) in the first half at the Capital Center in DC on Wed Apr 2, 2025 (AP News photo)

Sacramento Kings podcast with Jeremiah:

#1 The Sacramento Kings lost a brutal game against one of the NBA’s worst teams the Washington Wizards on Wednesday night in DC 116-111. The Wizards Jordan Poole scored 23 points and the two teams wound up splitting the season series.

#2 The Kings lost to one of two teams with the fewest wins in the NBA at 16 the Utah Jazz being the other team.

#3 The Wizards Bub Carrington and AJ Johnson each scored 19 points. Tristan Vukcevic scored 17 and Anthony Gill had ten points.

#4 The Kings DeMar DeRozan scored 29 points for the night and had 20 points scored in the fourth quarter. The Kings came back from behind down 14 points outscoring the Wizards 34-25 but couldn’t catch them losing in the final minute and losing by four points.

#5 The Kings get another chance to get back in the win column as they take on the Charlotte Hornets in Charlotte Friday at 4:00pm PDT. The Hornets who are in 14th place in the Eastern Conference at 19-57, the are another struggling team who have lost eight of their last ten games. Jeremiah how do you see the Kings chances in this one?

Join Jeremiah Salmonson for the Kings podcasts Fridays at http://www.sportsradioservicce.com