Category: NBA

Curry scores 49, Warriors win a thriller over Celtics 109-105

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Photo credit: @warriors

By Jerry Feitelberg

OAKLAND, Calif. — The game was billed as a preview of a possible NBA Finals series between the Golden State Warriors and the Boston Celtics.

The Warriors lost to the Celtics by four points last November and Golden State knew that they would be in a dogfight against Boston Saturday evening. The Celtics came into Oracle Arena with a lot of confidence as they beat the Warriors in Oakland the past two seasons. Celtics coach Brad Stevens had his team playing great defense, and they are ranked No. 1 in that department in the NBA. The Warriors, however, are not too shabby in that department. They also knew how to play defense, showing their abilities it in the second and third quarters of the game. It was touch and go all night long, but the Warriors came up with the clutch plays when needed, and they beat the Celtics 109-105.

The Celtics–behind a strong offensive performance by Kyrie Irving–outscored the Warriors 37-27 in the first 12 minutes of play. Irving scored 14 points in just nine minutes of action. He was 5-for-5 from the floor, and he knocked down two 3-point shots. The Warriors tied the game at 10, but the Celtics went on an 8-0 run and kept the Warriors at bay.  Former Cal standout, Jaylen Brown, scored 14 in the quarter. Stephen Curry led the Warriors with 13.

The Warriors played defense in the second period as they held the Celtics to just 17 points. The Warriors tallied 23 and cut the deficit to four as they trailed 54-50 at the end of the first half. Curry led the Warriors with 16, and Kevin Durant scored 11. Kyrie Irving led the Celtics with 19.

The Warriors got it going in the third quarter as they have done so many times this year. They continued to play great defense, and the offense perked up as they outscored Boston 30-19 and finished the period leading 80-73.

The Celtics, the best team in the Eastern Conference, showed the Warriors and the fans in Oracle Arena why they are the best in the East. Irving made a 3-pointer to make it a one-point game (90-89). Curry made a bucket, but the Celtics took the lead (93-92). The game was tied at 95 with just 2:36 to play. Steph hit a three and followed with a layup with 1:08 left to put the Warriors up by five. The Celtics’ Terry Rozier hit a trey to make it 105-104 with 7.7 seconds left on the clock. The Celtics fouled Curry, and he hit two free throws. The Celtics could not convert, so they fouled Curry again, and he iced the game by making the two free throws. The Warriors won 109-105 over a very tough and determined Celtics team.

Game Notes and Stats: Curry was the star of the game. He scored 49 points, and the fans were chanting “MVP, MVP” many times throughout the game. He scored 13 points in the last 1:32 of the game.

Draymond Green had a double-double with 15 points and 11 rebounds. Also, he blocked three shots.

Durant had 20.

Klay Thompson scored just seven points, but he played a fantastic game on defense. The Warriors shot 45.2% from the floor, and they were 10-for-27 from three-point range. They also had six steals and nine blocks on defense.

Boston was led by Kyrie Irving’s 37 points. Jaylen Brown recorded 20 and Marcus Morris–coming off the bench–scored 12.

With the win, the Warriors are now 40-10 for the season, and Boston drops to 35-15.

Up Next: The Warriors will take on the Utah Jazz in Salt Lake City Tuesday night.

Kings love Florida sunshine: SAC beats MIA 89-88 for second consecutive win

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Kings-HEAT

by Charlie O. Mallonee

With 4.3-seconds left to play on Thursday night and the Kings in possession of the ball, Sacramento trailed the Heat 88-87 on the road in Miami. This is the kind of situation that Kings have faced and failed in as they try to find success as a team in the rebuilding process. It was a different ending last night.

Bogdan Bogdanovic took a 20-foot step back jump shot that missed and bounced above the rim. De’Aaron Fox ran in from the left angle and slammed the rebound home to give the Kings an 89-88 lead. The clock stopped with 3.3-seconds remaining to allow Olynyk to enter the game for Miami and Temple to come on the floor the Kings.

Miami’s Josh Richardson missed a 21-foot jump shot with less than a second left on the clock and the Kings won their second consecutive game 89-88. Both of the wins have come in the “Sunshine State” of Florida.

The key to the win for the Kings was their ability to keep the game close. They did allow the Heat to open up a 12-point lead at one time but for the most part, it was a seesaw battle. There were 19 lead changes and the game was tied seven times in what turned out to be an exciting 48-minutes if you are a Kings fan.

Sacramento also broke a destructive pattern that has plagued them this season of falling behind in the third quarter and then having to make a major effort just catch up in the final period. On Thursday, Kings trailed by just one point heading into the fourth quarter.

The Kings dressed 10 players versus the Heat and head coach Dave Joerger used all 10 players in the game. Sacramento held out Vince Carter (who started in Orlando), George Hill and Georgios Papgiannis. Rumors are circulating that Hill may have a toe problem and is not being held out because of a possible trade.

Top Performances

Kings

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  • De’Aaron Fox gets the Star of the Game billing for the Kings. Not only did he score the game-winning basket but he added 14 points, four assists and three rebounds in his 29-plus minutes on the floor.
  • Buddy Hield really battled Fox for top billing on Thursday night. Hield receives Co-Star designation for scoring a game-high 24 points. He hit 10-of-15 field goal attempts and went 4-for-7 from 3-point range. Hield scored 13 of his points in the second quarter.
  • Veteran Zach Randolph is also going to receive a best supporting player award for recording a double-double against the Heat. Z-Bo scored 10 points and grabbed 10 rebounds in 28-minutes of playing time.

Heat

Miami in the Vice jersies

  • Goran Dragic was the Star of the Game for Miami. He was the top scorer for the Heat with 23 points shooting 8-for-14 overall for the game. Dragic hit 3-of-5 from long-range and was a perfect 4-for-4 from the free throw line.
  • Co-Star status goes to guard Wayne Ellington who put up 20 points against the Kings. He converted 7-of-16 field goal attempts and six of those conversions were 3-point baskets.

By the Numbers

Sacramento (15-33)

  • The Kings shot 46.9-percent (38-for-81) from the floor versus the Heat. They only attempted 12 three-point shots but they hit five of them.
  • SAC was out-rebounded 46-38 but managed to outscore Miami on second-chance scoring opportunities 8-7.
  • The Kings dished out 21 assists and turned the ball over 13 times which is below the desired 2-to-1 ratio. They gave up 13 points to the Heat off those 13 TOV’s.
  • Sacramento recorded six blocked shots in the game. Five Kings players posted a block and Cauley-Stein had two blocks.

Miami (27-21)

  • The Heat shot just 37.8-percent (31-for-82) for the game. If a team shoots under 40-percent in the NBA, there is not much of chance that they will come away with a win.
  • Miami decided to attack the Kings by taking as many shots from beyond the 3-point line as possible. They attempted 34 long-range field goals but hit just 12 for a 35.3 shooting percentage.
  • The posted 19 assists and made 17 turnovers for a very unacceptable 1-to-1 ratio. The Kings scored 20 points off those 17 miscues.

Up Next

SAC

Unless the Kings request to have the game on Sunday moved to any city in Florida, they will face the Spurs in San Antonio on Sunday at 4:00 pm PST.  The team is hoping to take advantage of the good “mojo” they have enjoyed in Florida by staying in Miami on Friday and waiting to travel to Texas until Saturday.

MIA

The Heat will host the Hornets on Saturday night in Miami.

 

Warriors make 21 three-pointers en route to 126-113 win over Timberwolves

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Photo credit: @warriors

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Golden State Warriors wanted to get off to a good start at Oracle Arena Thursday night as they played the young and talented Minnesota Timberwolves. The Timberwolves lost to Portland 123-114 Wednesday, and the Northwest division leaders wanted to get back in the win column against the Warriors. That did not happen as the Warriors led wire-to-wire as they beat Minnesota 126-113. The Warriors improved to 39-10 while the Timberwolves drop to 31-20.

The Warriors got off to a good start as they outscored Minnesota 38-29 in the first quarter. The Warriors’ Andre Iguodala scored 10 points in the period to set the tone for the game. The Warriors kept the pressure on as they finished the first half with a 12-point lead (74-62).

The Warriors’ big three of Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, and Kevin Durant tallied 17,10, and 15 respectively. The Timberwolves’ Karl-Anthony Towns scored 16, Jeff Teague had 15, Jamal Crawford with eight, and Andrew Wiggins with eight.

The Warriors, who usually own the third quarter, did not run away from Minnesota Thursday evening. The Warriors outscored them 32-31, and if Minnesota was able to mount a charge in the fourth quarter, they had a chance to win the game.

In the fourth quarter, the Warriors went cold. Curry and Durant were on the bench and the second unit could not do anything. Minnesota closed the gap, and coach Steve Kerr had to put Curry and Durant back into the game with 7:13 left in the game.

Nick Young hit a big three-pointer that gave the Dubs a spark. Durant took a rebound and raced down the court to make a big bucket to give the Warriors the lead 117-104. Minnesota then went on a 7-0 run, and the fans were starting to squirm. However, the Thompson and SCurry made back-to-back three-pointers to ensure the win as the Warriors led 124-111 with just 1:36 left in the game.

The Warriors scored another basket, and they finished the night with a 126-113 win.

Game Notes and Stats: Kevin Durant finished the night with a triple-double. Durant scored 28 points, had 11 assists and 10 rebounds. He also blocked three shots.

It was the first time in Durant’s career that had double-digit assists in two consecutive games. Durant recorded 14 in the game against the Knicks and 11 Thursday night in Oakland.

Curry and Thompson finished with 25. Green and Zaza Pachulia each recorded nine points in the game. David West, Shaun Livingston, and Nick Young each had six.

After the game, coach Kerr was pleased that the team won, but he thought they could improve on defense as the Timberwolves attempted 101 shots. They made 46.

The Warriors, on the other hand, knocked 48 in just 89 attempts. They shot 53.9% for the game, but they made 21 three-pointers in 37 attempts good for 56.8%.

Minnesota attempted 20 threes, but knocked just six.

The Warriors outrebounded the Wolves 47-43, and the Warriors recorded 37 assists.

Steve Kerr said this about his team: “Do what you have to do to win the game.”

Kerr also remarked that if playing Durant and Curry 36 or 37 minutes was going to have an adverse effect on the players. He usually plays them about 30 minutes a game but he thought the game was too close to have them sitting on the bench.

Up Next: The Warriors play the Boston Celtics Saturday night at Oracle Arena. Golden State lost a very close game to the Celtics early in the season in Boston so they will try to avenge that defeat.

The Celtics are led by former Cavalier Kyrie Irving and Jayson Tatum.

Game time is at 5:30 pm PT at Oracle arena.

George Hill to the Cavaliers … not so fast says reports out of Cleveland

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geohillwithLeBron

by Charlie O. Mallonee

Reports have been flying all week long that George Hill was on his way to Cleveland with the Cavaliers sending Iman Shumpert and Channing Frye to Sacramento in deal to be done before the February 8th trade deadline. Some reports have stated the Cavs were willing to sweeten the deal with a second-round draft pick.

Joe Vardon of Cleveland.com now says those reports may be premature. In a report posted today, Vardon wrote:

The Cavaliers and Kings are further apart on a trade for George Hill than it first appeared, sources told cleveland.com, with significant hurdles toward a potential deal remaining.

One source told cleveland.com that the two sides were speaking “conceptually” about Hill and were never close; another said the Cavs sought to change the parameters of a potential trade.

Conceptually, at least, the Cavs would get Hill from the Kings and send Channing Frye and Iman Shumpert to Sacramento. Derrick Rose could also have been involved and perhaps a future second-round draft pick.

Iman

Frye and Rose would probably be candidates to be bought out of their expiring contracts. Shumpert has a player option worth $11-million for the 2018-19 season. Shumpert has seen limited action this season after having arthroscopic surgery for a left knee effusion which increases the chances he would exercise that option.

Sacramento would like to off-load Hill’s contract

The Kings signed Hill thinking they would need his experience at point guard until De’Aaron Fox and Frank Mason III were ready to take over the job of running the offense. Fox and Mason surprised everyone by playing at a high level much faster than anyone anticipated they would be able to achieve in their rookie seasons.

Then came the surprise package named Bogdan Bogdanovic. When Sacramento obtained the rights to Euro player, they knew he was a potential scoring machine. When Bogdanovic arrived in Sacramento, the Kings discovered he was a playmaker who can shoot the ball in a very dynamic manor.

The accelerated development of Hill and Mason plus the surprise talents of Bogdanovic made George Hill a very expensive piece of insurance that they no longer needed. Off-loading his potential $59-million contract has become a priority for Sacramento who can use the cap space.

Fallout of moving Hill

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Skal Labissiere and Malachi Richardson could become collateral damage as the Kings try to move Hill and his salary off their books. Sacramento already has the NBA 15 maximum guaranteed contracts committed to players on their roster. That means someone has to be moved if a player has to kept on the roster as result of a trade involving Hill.

Reports are circulating that the Kings have made second-year players Skal Labissiere and Malachi Richardson available for possible trades in order to make room on the roster for players like Iman Shumpert.

The availability of Richardson is not that surprising because he fell behind due to injury in his rookie year and the Kings now have a glut of guards that he has not been able to break through in order stand out this season. The availability of Labissiere is a different story.

Many observers felt that Labissiere was the steal of the 2016 draft at number 28 in the first-round. He is having a bit of a sophomore slump but he would still seem to have a real potential upside as a developing playing at just 21-years old. Moving Labissiere feels like one of those moves that a team would regret for years to come in the future.

Kings want to move Hill but they need a return

Sacramento definitely wants to unload George Hill and his large contract. If the team does not need his experience, that big salary is an unneeded expense, but they cannot let a talent like Hill go without getting some value in return.

The Kings must get some basketball talent or draft picks that they can put to use in a deal for Hill or the transaction becomes very one-sided. Yes, Sacramento needs the cap space but that cannot be the only goal in a trade for Hill.

Yes, it is a complicated situation. Welcome to making trades in the NBA.

Kings end their eight-game losing streak with a 105-99 win in Orlando

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fox to hoop

by Charlie O. Mallonee

Garrett Temple scored a career-high 34 points to lead the Sacramento Kings to a 105-99 road win over the Orlando Magic on Tuesday night. The victory snapped the Kings eight-game losing streak and came in the second game of a back-to-back set on the road.

The Kings trailed the Magic by one point – 53 to 52 – at the half. Orlando managed to established a five point lead by the end of the third quarter, and it appeared that Sacramento might be headed to their third consecutive loss on the six-game road and their eighth loss in a row.

The Kings rallied in the fourth quarter behind an incredible 19 point scoring barrage put on by Garrett Temple. Temple shot a perfect 7-for-7 from the floor including hitting 3-of-3 three-point shots. He was a perfect 2-for-2 from the free throw line. Temple by himself outscored the entire Orlando Magic squad in the final period.

“Garrett has been a fantastic leader for us and I couldn’t be happier,” Sacramento coach Dave Joerger told the AP. “He’s the ultimate professional. For him to have this kind of night, I’m just tickled. He deserves it.”

Stars of the Game

Kings

  • Garrett Temple is the “no-brainer” winner of the star of the game designation for Tuesday night. Temple’s previous career-high point game was 23 points. He hit 14-of-17 shots versus Orlando and managed to grab five rebounds as well in just over 40 minutes of playing time.
  • Willie Cauley-Stein gets a co-star credit for putting up 21 points against the Magic. He shot 50-percent from the floor (9-for-18) and converted 4-of-5 free throws. Cauley-Stein also pulled down nine rebounds.

Magic

  • Guard Evan Fournier was the star of the game for the Magic as he scored 22 points and handed out four assists. Fournier did not shoot particularly well hitting 7-of-17 attempts overall and converting just 2-of-10 from 3-point range. The Magic backcourt man did go a perfect 6-for-6 from the charity stripe.
  • Orlando’s other starting guard – Elfrid Payton – earns the co-star honors for scoring 21 points against the Kings while dishing out seven assists and pulling down seven rebounds. Payton hit 9-of-14 field goals.

Key stats

Sacramento

  • The Kings shot an impressive 49.4-percent (43-for-87) from the field for the game. They shot just 30.8-percent from behind the 3-point line but the eight 3-point field goals the Kings hit were a big key to their win.
  • Sacramento did something on Tuesday night that they have not done for a while and that is out-rebound their opponent. The Kings hauled in 44 rebounds to the Magic’s 40.
  • The Kings also did a better job of taking care of the ball as they turned it over just 14 times (good for 16 Orlando points) while posting 24 assists. That is close the desired 2-to-1 ratio a coach wants to see from his team.
  • Sacramento also had a remarkable 11 blocked shots in the game. Willie Cauley-Stein led the team with five blocked shots of his own.

Orlando

  • The Magic tried to manipulate the Kings weakness in stopping the 3-point shot. They attempted 31 three-point field goals and made 11 of them.
  • Orlando turned the ball over 17 times (22 Kings points) while posting 23 assists.
  • The Magic tried outrun the Kings by using the fast break. Orlando outscored SAC 20-7 on the break in the game.
  • Both teams have a record of 14-33 after the contest on Tuesday.

Notes

skal trade

  • The Kings sat George Hill and Kosta Koufos against the Magic. Since the Kings have committed to the youth movement, they have rested two veterans each game.
  • There are many rumors flying around about trade for George Hill to the Cleveland Cavaliers that would possibly bring Iman Shumpert, Channing Frye and possibly a 2nd-round draft pick to the Kings.
  • New rumors started to circulate on Tuesday that Sacramento is looking to trade Malachi Richardson and Skal Labissiere to open to spots on the roster.

Up next

Kings

Sacramento will return to action on Thursday night in Miami. The Kings have not won in Miami in 16 years.

Magic

Orlando is off until Saturday when they will travel to Indiana to face the Pacers.

Curry has 14th 30-point game of the season, Warriors defeat Knicks 123-112

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Photo credit: @warriors

By: Ana Kieu

After a nearly perfect road trip, the Golden State Warriors returned home to Oracle Arena to host the visiting New York Knicks. The Warriors were coming off a 116-108 win to the Houston Rockets Saturday. The Knicks were on the same boat as they suffered a 127-107 blowout loss to the Los Angeles Lakers Sunday.

The Warriors’ starting lineup consisted of Kevin Durant, Draymond Green, Zaza Pachulia, Klay Thompson and Stephen Curry.

Thompson hit a jumper to help the Warriors get going early in the first quarter. Curry followed with a 3-pointer. Then, Durant got it on the break and finished with a layup in the paint. Durant also made a quality pass to Kevon Looney, who put a two-point field goal into the net.

Despite the Warriors’ efforts, they trailed the Knicks by 10 (31-21) at the end of the first.

Fans were able to count on Curry, who came up with some artsy layups and 3s in the second quarter. Looney then stole the show with a successful rim shot attempt and the score was different by just two points late in the quarter.

The Warriors trailed the Knicks 60-58 at the half.

Here are the Warriors’ halftime stats:

There was a triple play in the third quarter in which the exciting action went like this: Pachulia to Durant to Green to the rim. The Warriors continued to have some good looks and Curry relieved fans with plenty of 3s.

For the first time in this game, the Warriors had a decent lead, as they led the Knicks by nine (95-86) at the end of the third.

Green joined the party of threes in the fourth quarter. Curry proceeded to catch and shoot a plethora of shots. Curry made a statement with his eighth three of the night with 2:16 left in regulation.

The Warriors defeated the Knicks 123-112 at home.

Here are the Warriors’ final stats:

Notes
Stephen Curry had his 14th 30-point game of the season with 32 points (8-of-15 3FG) to go with seven assists and six rebounds.

Kevin Durant had his 16th career point/assist double-double with 14 points and a career-high-tying 12 assists.

During NBA Fit Week, students learned about mindfulness with Stephen Curry as part of the Warriors’ Get Fit program, presented by Kaiser Permanente in partnership with Playworks NorCal.

Klay Thompson will be making his fourth consecutive NBA All-Star appearance.

Draymond Green got his third straight NBA All-Star selection.

Warriors are the first team in NBA history to have four All-Stars in consecutive seasons and will mark the ninth time in NBA history that a team has had four All-Stars appear in the game.

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Up Next
The Warriors host the Minnesota Timberwolves on Thursday at 7:30 pm PT.

Kings take another fall in 112-107 loss to Hornets after Grizzlies’ rout

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Photo credit: @StrikaNation24_

By: Jeremiah Salmonson

Sacramento — The Sacramento Kings and the Charlotte Hornets both came into their game Monday evening coming off losses. The Kings lost in a big way on Friday night, losing to the Memphis Grizzlies 106-88. The Hornets, on the other hand, played a great game on Saturday. However, they fell 106-105 against the Miami Heat. The Kings and Hornets were looking to bounce back at the Spectrum Center on Monday.

The first quarter would prove to have plenty of offense in it. The Kings scored 33 and the Hornets scored 35 in the first quarter. The points in the first for the Kings came from all over the roster with no player having more than six points by the end of the first. Bogdan Bodanovic had five points in the first along with Fox and Hield. Kosta Koufos had six points in the first leading the Kings. Leading the Hornets in the first would be Jeremy Lamb with five points. Dwight Howard and Nicolas Batum each had seven, and Kembra Walker ended the first with eight points.

The second quarter would prove to be a good one. That is until the Hornets scored the last eight points in the second quarter. That would send the hornets into the locker room ahead 67-55 over the Kings. At the half, the Kings were shooting at 38.5% from downtown, and 46.2% in field goals while making two of three free throws.

The Hornets, on the other hand, shot 50% outside, 54.8% of field goals, and 11 of 13 free throws. Leading the way for the Kings was De’Aaron Fox with ten points after the first half. Kosta Koufos had six rebounds and Bogdanovic had four assists. The Hornets led the way with Jeremy Lamb scoring 13 points. Dwight Howard had eight rebounds and four assists for Kemba Walker.

Going into the third, it appeared the Kings had lost some steam with the Hornets scoring the last eight points of the first half. Carter started the third quarter by hitting a three. That made the score 68-58 with 10:32 to play in the third. The Kings had fallen behind 13 points with 7:56 to go in the third quarter. The score would be 73-60 when the Kings took a timeout. One of the lopsided figures so far in this game was free throws. With 5:37 to go in the third the Kings had made three of four free throws.

Meanwhile, the Hornets managed to make 12 of 15 attempts from the line. Bogdan Bogdanovic took a blow with 4:45 to play in the third. He was down for a minute but made his way back up. The officials took it to replay and determined it was not a flagrant and play resumed. The Kings would battle but end the third trailing 92-75.

The Hornets would extend extend their lead to 20 points with only 10:30 to play. The score at the time was 95-75. 8:14 remained in the game with the Kings trailing by 16 points and coach Dave Joerger took a timeout. The Kings continued to battle with Buddy Hield and the Kings going on a 15-6 run. With 4:57 to go, the Kings got the score back to a respectable 101-92. The game would go back to forth until the Kings made it 107-102. However, the Hornets would pull away and bury the Kings 112-107.

What’s next?
Kings: Tuesday against Orlando Magic in Orlando at 4 pm PST.

Hornets: Wednesday against New Orleans Pelicans at 4:30 pm PST.

Warriors lose to Rockets 116-108; Houston ends Golden State’s 14-game road win streak

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Photo credit: @ESPNStatsInfo

By: Ana Kieu

The Golden State Warriors were looking to sweep their five-game road trip in Saturday’s primetime game against the Houston Rockets at the Toyota Center.

The NBA on ABC/ESPN pregame hosts counted down JaVale McGee’s top 10 plays, Klay Thompson signed some autographs for the fans, and then the Warriors walked onto their court, sporting their “The Town” jerseys.

Both teams entered the building as two of the best Western Conference squads, but the Rockets started off on a high note, making five of their first six shots. The Warriors were down 14-7 early in the first quarter. Golden State continued to make shots to pick themselves up off the ground.

However, the Rockets had a high-scoring first quarter, and they led the Warriors 40-28.
Houston shot 15-for-22 from the field and 7-for-11 from the 3-point line.

Warriors’ Nick Young had some solid production off the bench, hitting each of his first three shots early in the second quarter. Also, David West did his thing, shooting 4-for-4 from the field for a total of eight points.

James Harden and Chris Paul put in some work. With less than two minutes left in the quarter, Steph Curry hit a three, but the Warriors continued to trail the Rockets 65-58 at the half. Harden and Paul combined for 30 first-half points.

Here are the Warriors’ halftime stats:

Warriors’ Kevin Durant made a high-impact play, a 4-point play, to open up the second half. Durant also dished a pass to Draymond Green to set up a 1-on-1 opportunity. In addition, Curry hit a 3-pointer to help out the Warriors.

The Warriors made it a game as they pulled within one, 92-91, at the end of the third quarter. Rockets’ P.J. Tucker came up big in the quarter.

Green tied the score with a 3-pointer early in the fourth quarter. The Warriors were down by 17, but went up to 4 (104-100) with 6:45 left in the quarter.

Prior to the timeout, the Rockets led the Warriors 111-108 with 2:17 left in regulation. Houston continued to flip the switch as Harden hit a 3-pointer for a 114-108 lead over Golden State. Then, Paul made a pair of free throws with 28.2 seconds left.

Both Curry and Young missed their final 3-point shots, and the Warriors lost to the Rockets 116-108. With the loss, Golden State’s 14-game road win streak and 4-game overall win streak.

Notes
Warriors’ injury update: Andre Iguodala (left calf contusion) is out.

Former Warriors player Jason Richardson turned 37 today. He played for the Warriors for six seasons from 2001 to 2007.

When asked about closing out the road trip in Houston, Warriors head coach Steve Kerr told the local media: “It’s a good way to close the trip…it should be a fun atmosphere.”

Warriors’ Steph Curry made his 600th career regular season start tonight in his 606th career regular season game.

Warriors’ Draymond Green has his fourth 20-point game of the season with 21 points; his third 20-point performance in his last six games.

Up Next
The Warriors return home for a three-game homestand. They’ll first host the Knicks this coming Tuesday at 7:30 pm PT.

Kings lose seventh consecutive game as Grizzlies win 106-88 on Friday night

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By Charlie O. Mallonee

The Sacramento Kings kicked off their longest road trip of the season on Friday night in Memphis versus the Grizzlies. It was big night for head coach Dave Joerger, Zach Randolph and Vince Carter as they were returning to the city where they enjoyed great success as members of the Grizzlies basketball organization.

Unfortunately for the Kings, they were not able to make it a great night for Joerger, Z-Bo and Vince by handing the Grizzlies a loss and making the local fans realize what they are missing by not having those three men still involved with their team.

Memphis handed Sacramento their seventh consecutive loss as they beat the Kings 106-88. For the Grizzlies, it was their third win in a row.

The Kings continued their commitment to young player development on Friday night. Sacramento started Justin Jackson, Willie Cauley-Stein, Bogdan Bogdanovic, De’Aaron Fox and because it was his first time back in Memphis–veteran Zach Randolph was in the starting five.

The Kings started slow and trailed the Grizz 30-17 after the first 12 minutes. The men from SAC pulled things together in the second period and outscored the hometown team 23-10 to make it a 40-40 game at the half.

As it has been so many times this season, the third quarter was the Kings undoing in this contest. Memphis took control of the game and won the quarter putting up 27 points to Sacramento’s 19.

The Grizzlies seized upon the lead they established in the third quarter and went on to dominate the final period by outscoring the Kings 39-29. Not only was this Sacramento’s seventh consecutive loss but it starts them out 0-1 on this long, tough road trip.

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Stars of the Game

Memphis

  • Star of the game for the Grizzlies has to go to former Sacramento Kings guard Ben McLemore. McLemore came off the bench to play almost 27 minutes and score 21 points against his old mates. He shot six for 13 from the field–including three 3-point baskets. Ben “Mac” went a perfect six for six from the free throw line. McLemore played like a man who had something to prove to other side.
  • Dillion Brooks gets a co-star billing for being the high scorer in the game with 22 points. Brooks shot eight for 13 from the floor and three for six from behind the 3-point line. He also was a good thief as he grabbed three steals in his 27-plus minutes of playing time.

Sacramento

  • The Kings star of the game is starting point guard De’Aaron Fox who scored a team-high 16 points. Fox hit five of 12 shots from the floor and went a perfect five for five from the free throw line. The rookie point guard also dished out six assists in the contest.
  • The co-star tag goes to veteran Vince Carter. Carter played just over 23 minutes and posted 15 points. The Kings “O.G” went five for nine from the floor and all five of his baskets were 3-point conversions. Tomorrow morning he may not be able to walk, but Friday night he was 21 years old again.

Key Stats

Grizzlies (16-28)

  • Memphis took good care of the basketball. They committed 13 turnovers (16 Kings points) while they posted 24 assists. That put them right at the target of the 2-to-1 ratio that every coach wants to see.
  • The Grizzlies out-rebounded the Kings 49-44
  • Memphis outscored Sacramento on the fast break 19-12

Kings (13-32)

  • Sacramento turned the ball over 21 times (26 Memphis points) and recorded just 18 assists. That is a negative assist to turnover ratio. That will not help you record a win.
  • The Kings shot just 40 percent (32 for 80) for the game. The Grizzlies shot 44.3 percent (39 for 88) from the field. Memphis did not shoot great but it was just enough better than Sacramento to post the win.
  • The Kings gave the opposition an advantage in the third quarter again on Friday night. Sacramento cannot have those third quarter let downs and expect to win games.

Up Next

Kings

Sacramento is off until Monday night when they will play the Hornets in Charlotte. Maybe a couple of good practices will help them be ready to face the Hornets and break the losing streak.

Grizzlies

Memphis has to get right back to business on Saturday as they have to face the Pelicans in New Orleans. The NBA schedule can be a harsh mistress.

Sportstalk Podcast at Sauced BBQ Restaurant Downtown Sacramento: Thu Jan 18, 2018

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yelp!.com photo: Sauced BBQ Restaurant downtown Sacramento site of Sportstalk remote Thu Jan 18, 2018

Cast Michael Duca (host), Charlie O (Sacramento Kings beat reporter), London Marq (Stanford Cardinal reporter),Ana Kieu (USA Today), Jordan Chapin (Sacramento Kings reporter and photographer), and Lee Leonard (producer). Podcasting from the lively and the very best in Bar B Que Sauced BBQ Restaurant at 1028 7th Avenue in downtown Sacramento next to Golden One Center home of the Sacramento Kings. Today’s coverage the Kings, Golden State Warriors, headline news on the NBA and other sports headlines.

Our thanks to our hosts at Sauced BBQ Kevin Shaw General Manager, Kristina Wulff Director of Brand Development, Kyle Woodfill Regional Director of Kitchen Operations. Sauced BBQ wants to remind everyone Wow, we are so excited to have the opportunity to bring authentic BBQ to Northern California. Our goal here is always to provide excellent food, great drinks, and an unmatched Southern charm and ambiance. We want every one of our guests to become a part of our extended family and walk out of here with a memorable experience and a full stomach. Be careful what you wish for though…our family is CRAZY!!!