Category: NBA

After a slow start, Warriors regain their mojo and rout the Dallas Mavericks 121-103

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Photo credit: nba.com

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Warriors did not get off to a good start Thursday evening at Oracle Arena against the Dallas Mavericks as they were outscored 33-23 in the first quarter. They were not playing defense nor were they scoring on offense, and the Mavericks raced out to an early 10-point lead.

The Warriors could not gain ground as they trailed by nine, 44-35, at one point. Then, veteran center David West sparked a 10-2 run to cut the deficit to one, 46-45. The two teams traded leads the rest of the way, and the first half was tied at 60.

The Mavericks took nine more shots in the half, but were held to just 46% from the floor. The Warriors shot 57.5% from the floor but made only four three-pointers in 13 attempts.

Draymond Green and Klay Thompson each hit a three-pointer to start the third quarter, but the Mavericks went on a 10-0 run to take a 70-66 lead. The Warriors continued to commit a lot of turnovers, and at one point in the game, they had committed 11, which allowed Dallas to score 17 points.

About halfway through the quarter, the Warriors apparently decided to play quality basketball as their defense improved and their offense clicked. Steph Curry and Kevin Durant led the Warrior attack, and they were able to build an eight-point lead, 93-86, at the end of the third quarter.

In the fourth quarter, the Warriors’ bench led by Green, David West, Shaun Livingston and Andre Iguodala, shut down the Mavericks’ offense as they broke the game open. Curry and Durant sat out during the final moments of the game. Thompson made a couple of key buckets, but was taken out with less than six minutes to play.

The Warriors defeated the Mavericks by a score of 121-103.

Game notes and Stats: With the win, the Warriors improved to 42-13 and the Mavericks’ record dropped to 17-38.

Former Warrior, Harrison Barnes, did not play for Dallas as he is recovering from an ankle injury.

The Warriors’ Big Four were all in double figures.

Green had a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds. Durant led the team with 24. Curry had 20 points, eight assists, and seven rebounds. Thompson finished the night with 18, David West had 10, and the Warrior bench was productive with 39 points.

Mavericks veteran power forward Dirk Nowitzki is in his 20th season with Dallas and tallied 16 points. Former Stanford star, Dwight Powell, scored 18 points. Dennis Smith, Jr was impressive for the Mavericks with 22 points. Wesly Matthews added 17 points.

The Warriors stopped committing turnovers halfway through the third quarter and finished the night with 16. They are 31-4 when they commit 16 or fewer turnovers in a game.

The Warriors finished the night shooting 14-for-29 from the 3-point range. They also recorded 37 assists.

After the game, Warriors’ head coach Steve Kerr had quite a few things to say: “It took us a while to get going but I “liked the way we dug out.”

“Dallas controlled the first half but (I) didn’t feel we were in danger.”

“Liked the way Draymond fought. He was “just competing, but nothing was going down for him.”

” I think our talent took over in the third quarter. If we take care of the ball, we’re going to be in good shape.”

Up Next: The Warriors will be tested on Saturday as they welcome the San Antonio Spurs to Oracle Arena at 5:30 pm PT.

Thunder dominate Warriors at Oracle 125-105; Golden State drops third game in last four

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Photo credit: @NBA

By Jerry Feitelberg

Oakland — There have been many people expressing doubts about this years’ edition of the Golden State Warriors. The Warriors have not been able to get things goings. They have fallen behind too many times in the first half and have not handled the ball well or played defense as well as they have in the past three seasons.

The Thunder came into the game having lost four straight.

Warriors’ coach Steve Kerr wanted the team to get off to a fast start Tuesday night against the Thunder, but that did not happen.

The Thunder came out firing on all cylinders. They were led by Russell Westbrook, who looked to be unstoppable. The Thunder raced out to an early lead and never looked back as they swamped the Warriors 125-105.

The Thunder outscored them 42-30 in the first quarter, and they never let the Warriors climb back into the game. They moved the ball and defended the Warriors. They wouldn’t let Steph Curry or Klay Thompson get into any sort of rhythm. Kevin Durant was the only Warrior to get anything going against his former team.

Westbrook and Paul George made shot after shot and the Thunder’s big man, Steve Adams, had a huge night both on offense and defense.

No matter what Steve Kerr did, the Thunder had an answer. The Thunder led 70-57 at the half. The Warriors could do nothing in the third quarter as Paul George led the Thunder attack. The Warriors fell behind by 22 at the end of three quarters, and it is very rare for a team to win when they trail by that many so late in the game.

The Thunder kept the momentum going and they cruised to an easy 125-105 win over The Dubs.

Game Notes and Stats: The Warriors have now lost three out of the last four games they have played, and two of the losses were blowouts.

The Warriors are now tied in the loss column with 13 with the Houston Rockets, and the Rockets own the tiebreaker. If the teams end in a tie, Houston would have home court advantage.

The Warriors committed 25 turnovers Tuesday night.

The Warriors committed 25 turnovers in the Sacramento game, but were lucky to get a win. Many people are wondering when the Warriors are going to turn on the switch and start playing the way they have in the past three years. They are limping to the All-Star break, and hopefully, they can regroup and get back on track in time for the playoffs.

Durant led the scoring with 33. Curry had 21, but Thompson was held to 12. Draymond Green knocked down five. Green had seven assists and eight boards, but had to leave the game when has was called for his second technical foul of the night.

The refs called five technical fouls on the team in the game.

David West led the bench with nine, and Shaun Livingston had six.

The Warriors’ bench has not been as productive this year as it has been in previous years, and that may be a factor in the team’s recent lackluster performance.

George led the Thunder with 38. Westbrook had 34. Jerami Grant added 16, and Adams had 14.

The Thunder’s Carmelo Anthony suffered a sprained ankle early in the game and did not return to action. The win was OKC’s first in Oakland since 2013.

Up Next: The Warriors return to action Thursday night against the Dallas Mavericks. Game time is at 7:30 pm PT at Oracle Arena.

Golden State Warriors Podcast with David Zizmor: After losing two straight teams going after champs and it’s taxing every night

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Photo credit: @957thegame

By David Zizmor

OAKLAND — Golden State Warriors hosting the Oklahoma Thunder tonight at Oracle Arena after coming off a couple road loses to Utah and Denver. The Warriors have nothing to fear after losing two in such close proximity. They’ve won titles and their carrying the league they’re favored to go all the way again this year.

For them to repeat the title, it’s not an accident for example they’ve had a lot fewer wins than they did last year. It’s really really stressful. It’s really, really straining, teams come at you every night because you have a chance at best and they go 100%. For the Warriors to keep up that effort and to fend it off every single night, it’s taxing and it’s really difficult.

Dave has much more on the Warriors podcast at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

 

Kings complete 21-point comeback to beat Bulls 104-98

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Photo credit: @SacramentoKings

By: Jordan Chapin

SACRAMENTO–The boo birds were out early, but by the time the clock read 0:00, it was bedlam at Golden 1 Center on Monday night. The Sacramento Kings trailed by as much as 21 points in a game, but they ended up winning, 104-98, over the Chicago Bulls.

After De’Aaron Fox went down early in the third quarter, somebody needed to step up big for Sacramento, and that player was JaKarr Sampson. Sampson brought major energy off the bench, including an emphatic dunk and a clutch 3-pointer. He ended his night with nine points, six rebounds, and one block.

In the first quarter, Sacramento shot 4-for-20 from the field, scored nine points, trailed by as much as 19. Little to say, it seemed like it was going to be another long night for the purple and black faithful.

Things started to shift midway into the second quarter following Robin Lopez’s words with official Justin Van Duyne just moments after Lopez was ejected. As a result, Lopez had to watch the rest of the game from the locker room.

The Kings continued to trail 55-41 at the end of the first half.

Kings coach Dave Joerger had something good to say at halftime because the Kings had overcome a 21-point deficit and took the lead, 96-93, after a Buddy Hield’s significant 3-pointer with 1:33 left to go in the game.

The Bulls quickly responded as Bobby Portis hit a 3-pointer of his own. With under a minute to go, and a tie ball game, Bogdan Bogdanovic threw up a step-back 3-pointer over two defenders that found the bottom of the net.

The Bulls had two decent looks to tie the game, but were unable to capitalize. The Golden 1 Center was in uproar as the Kings seized their 17th win of the season.

Sacramento has now broke the hearts of Bulls fans twice this year, as they sweep the season series 2-0. The Kings will have three full days off before they have to see Damian Lillard and the Portland Trail Blazers Friday night in Sacramento. After that, it does not get much easier as they travel to the Midwest to face a very good Minnesota Timberwolves team.

Sacramento Kings
Player of the Game: Bogdan Bogdanovic

Bogdan Bogdanovic lead all scorers for the Kings tonight with 15 points, but in a game Bogey struggled from the field, he was able to get himself to the free throw line six times.

With De’aaron Fox going down, Bogdanovic was put in a tough situation, and answered the bell by hitting what ended up being the biggest shot of the game. To go along with his 15 points, he added four assists and four rebounds.

Key Stats
Six players in double digits.

Sacramento’s Bench outscored the Bulls bench 55-22.

First time the Kings have swept the Bulls since the 06-07 season.

With the win, the Kings complete their largest comeback of the season (21).

After shooting 20% from the field in the first quarter, the Kings finished there night shooting at 44%.

Chicago Bulls
Player of the Game: Zach Lavine

Zach Lavine was playing in his 11th game of the season and the Bulls fans finally got what they had been waiting for, a poster, unfortunately JaKarr Sampson was the victim.

More importantly, Lavine set a new season high with 27 points and shot 4-for-8 from behind the arc.

Bulls coach Fred Hoiberg on Lavine’s night, “Zach’s getting a rhythm, he’s playing better, he’s getting more comfortable out there”. Lavine racked up two rebounds and two assists to go along with his 27 points

Key Stats
Shot 40% from the field, and 39% from 3-point land.

Bobby Portis finished his night with a double-double (18 points, 14 rebounds).

Bulls extend there losing streak to seven games.

Innocent Chairs that were thrown from anger by Robin Lopez: 1

Kings run out of gas in the fourth quarter on Saturday night and lose to Dallas 106-99

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2-3-18 feature photo
Buddy Hield puts in the final three points for the Kings on Saturday night

by Charlie O. Mallonee

Sacramento – The Sacramento Kings played a pretty solid game versus the Dallas Mavericks on Saturday night for 36-minutes. Unfortunately for the Kings, a regulation NBA game takes 48-minutes to be official.

The Kings began the fourth period with an 85-81 lead and looked like they were ready to battle the Mavericks down the stretch to post a win on their home court. The Mavericks had a different plan.

After shooting above 50-percent for the entire game, the Kings went ice cold in final quarter with the proverbial lid being put on the basket. In the meantime, the Mavericks found a burst of energy and went on a 16-0 run to establish a 10 point lead. Sacramento did not score their first points in the quarter until the 6:08 mark when De’Aaron Fox hit a 14-foot jump shot.

The home team cut the Mavericks lead down to six points with 2:45 to play but by then, the Kings were “gassed”. Fatigue – both mental and physical – had taken over and the chance to win the second game of a home back-to-back set was ended.

Dallas – who came into the game losers of five consecutive games – won the game 106-99. This was just the seventh road win of the year for the Mavericks.

The Kings have now lost two games in a row at home since going 3-3 on their 13-day, six-game road trip. Sacramento has two games remaining in this four-game home stand.

Top performers

Mavericks

2-3-18 Dirk
Dirk shoots the 3-ball in the fourth quarter versus the Kings
  • Mavs starting five: all of the Dallas starters scored in double-figures on Saturday night. Harrison Barnes scored a game-high 18 points while Dwight Powell posted 17, Dirk 15, Dennis Smith Jr. 12 and Wesley Matthews 11. Yogi Ferrell also added 11 points coming off the bench.
  • Smith Jr. scored 10 of his 12 points in the second half. He shot very poorly overall but he just kept working even when things were not going his way. Smith Jr. shot 4-for-15 overall and 0-for-6 from 3-point range. He converted 4-of-7 free throw opportunities. The rookie also added five rebounds, five assists and two steals to his stat line for the contest.
  • Barnes hit 7 of 14 field goal attempts going 4-for-8 from 3-point land. He scored 12 of his 18 points in the first half and was responsible for keeping the Mavs in the game when the Kings were playing with energy.
  • Mr. Nowitzki’s stats must also be mentioned out of pure respect for his 19 years in “the Association”. Dirk shot 5-for-9 overall and hit 3 of 7 from behind the 3-point line. He also grabbed seven rebounds.

Kings

2-3-18 Fox to hoop
@swipathefox takes it to the bucket in the fourth period for SAC
  • De’Aaron Fox had two completely different halves in this game. He finished with 15 points to match Garrett Temple for the team-high scorer. Fox scored just four points shooting 2-for-2 in the first half. He seemed to bothered by Smith Jr. and maybe he was battling his fatigue early. In the second half, Fox posted 11 points shooting 5-for-11 from the field (0-for-3 for 3’s) while hitting 1 of 2 from the charity stripe. Fox also dished out three assists and made three steals in second half.
  • Garrett Temple played a strong 31-minutes off the bench scoring 15 points hitting 6 of 10 shots from the floor. He also went 2-for-2 from the free throw line. Temple added two assists and two steals.
  • Willie Cauley-Stein played 31-minutes which was a little surprising after seeing almost 35-minutes of time on the floor against the Warriors on Friday night and just coming back from injury. He scored 14 points shooting 7-for-12 from the floor. WCS also grabbed eight rebounds, had two steals and blocked one shot.

Key Stats

Dallas (17-36)

  • The Mavericks went after the Kings reputation for not being able to defend against the 3-point shot. They attempted 41 shots from long-range and made 13 of them (31.7-percent). The Mavs 3-point shooting helped them win the game.
  • Dallas out-rebounded the Kings 37-31. They grabbed 10 offensive boards to SAC’s seven.
  • The Mavs outscored the Kings in second-chance points 19-11 for the game. Offensive rebounds do make a difference.
  • Dallas also went to the free throw line 14 times compared to just six times for Sacramento. They converted 11 of those 14 opportunities.
  • The Mavericks also outscored the Kings in the paint 48-44.

Sacramento (16-36)

  • The Kings shot 43-for-82 (52.4-percent) for the game. Their biggest problem was they shot just 22.7-percent (5-for-22) in the fourth quarter which allowed Dallas to go on their 16-0 run.
  • The Kings only went to the free throw line six times. They were successful on five of their six opportunities but six free throw attempts is not going to get it done in the NBA. Sacramento needs to be going to the line at least 20 times per game.
  • The Kings did make 12 steals in the game to the Mavericks eight. SAC also blocked three shots to zero blocked shots for the Mavs.

Up next

Sacramento

The Kings are off until Monday when they will host the Chicago Bulls. Head coach Dave Joerger said the team will have Super Bowl Sunday off and will go back to work on Monday.

Dallas

The Mavs will also play on Monday night when they will face the “Blake Griffin-less” Clippers in LA.

 

Warriors run out of gas in fourth quarter fall to Denver Nuggets 115-108

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Photo credit: @warriors

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Golden State Warriors, playing the back end of a back-to-back series in the Mile High City, lost to the Denver Nuggets 115-108. The Warriors finished the game against the Kings in Sacramento and then boarded a plane and flew to Denver for the game. They probably arrived at the hotel at 4 am and didn’t get much sleep before game time. While it is not an excuse, the record shows that the Warriors own a 5-24 record when having to play in Denver after playing a game in the Pacific time zone.

The Nuggets, under Mike Malone, are an up-and-coming young team and the Warriors will probably face them in the playoffs. The teams split the season series 2-2. The Nuggets have three stars under the age of 22, and they are just now becoming a formidable force in the NBA.

Both teams played a very spirited first half. The Warriors won the first quarter 32-29, but the Nuggets came back, and they trailed the Warriors by one at the half, 56-55. Klay Thompson was hot in the first quarter. Kevin Durant and Steph Curry led the attack in the second. Thompson finished the half with 14, Curry had 12, and Durant pitched in with 13. The Nuggets were led by Will Barton 15 and Gary Harris 12. Barton’s eyes light up when he plays the Warriors and tonight was no exception. The Nuggets take a lot of three-point shots. They were 7-for-16 in the half while the Warriors made just 4 three-pointers in 18 attempts.

The Warriors played well in the third quarter. They led 77-65 about halfway through the third quarter. The Nuggets did not cave, and they were able to reduce the deficit to just six at the end of three quarters of play. The Warriors could not increase the lead in the fourth quarter. Barton made a couple of three-pointers for Denver to give Denver the lead 102-99. The Dubs tied the game at 104, but the Nuggets’ big center, Nikola Jokic, made a three to give Denver the lead for good 107-104. The Warriors fell behind 113-105, and they were toast.  Denver prevailed 115-108.

Game Notes and Stats: The Warriors drop to 41-12, but still own the best record in the Western Conference. If they should finish with the same record as Houston, the Rockets have the tie-breaker and would have home court advantage over Golden State.

Kevin Durant led the Warriors with 31 points. Steph had 24. Klay scored just two points in the second half and finished with 16. Will Barton led the Nuggets with 25. Jokic tallied 19, Harris had 16, and Jamal Murray knocked down 15.

The Nuggets are now 28-25 for the years, and they could present problems to the Warriors should they meet in the playoffs.

Up Next: The Warriors return home to face the Oklahoma City Thunder on February 6th at 7:30 pm PT.

Sacramento Kings Friday game wrap: Warriors come to Sacramento hand Kings a 119-104 loss

Published on by Charlie O. MalloneeLeave a comment

gswsacscore

by Jordan Chapin

Sacramento – Friday night at the Golden 1 center, the Sacramento Kings returned home from their longest road trip of the year and were welcomed back by the the World Champion Golden State Warriors. Even with the return of Willie Cauley-Stein, Golden State handed the Kings their 35th loss of the year in a 119-104 Warriors victory. After winning three of their last four games, Sacramento came into the contest with a little momentum, but it was raining three balls in the Golden 1 Center, and not in favor of the Kings.

Sacramento came out of the gate hot, and started the game on a 20-7 run  led by Justin Jackson’s eight points in the first quarter. It didn’t take long for Golden State to close that gap with the help of Kevin Durant’s 17 point first half. The Warriors led 58-52 going into the locker room at halftime.

During the third quarter, Sacramento trailed as much as 14 points, but they continued to keep their heads above water as the Splash Brothers combined for 17 points in the period. Trailing 87-79 with 9:47 left to go, Sacramento’s Buddy Hield rattled off seven straight points, including back-to-back steals and cut the lead to just one, but that’s as close as the Kings would get to retaking the lead. KD put the team on his back scoring 13 points in the last 10 minutes of play, finishing his night with 33 points while shooting 12-for-17 from the field.

Even though the Kings forced 25 turnovers, it was not enough to overcome a stellar shooting night from the Warriors. The season series is now tied at one game a piece, and the Kings will not see the Warriors again until March 16th at Oracle Arena. The Kings have an opportunity to bounce back quickly as they will face the Dallas Mavericks Saturday on the second night of a back-to-back.

Sacramento Kings

Star of the Night: Justin Jackson

Jackson finished his night shooting 7-for-13 from the field for 17 points. He totalled 33 minutes for the game, but in those minutes he looked very aggressive, knocking down a couple three balls, and hitting his floaters from inside the paint. De’Aaron Fox on what he has seen from Justin Jackson, “Lately, he’s been great, his confidence has been up, he’s playing a lot, he’s making shots, something we know he can do.” Jackson was two points away from tying his career high.

Key Stats:

  • Forced 25 turnovers(19 points)
  • Shot 44.2% from the field and 40% from 3-point range
  • Led the game by as much as 13 points, but trailed as much as 17
  • Had six players in double figures, including all five of their starters
  • Six lead changes

Golden State Warriors

gswsacdurant

Star of the Night: Kevin Durant

Durant continued his all-star campaign with 33 points, 6 assists, and 4 rebounds. KD hit shots when they mattered, scoring 17 in the first half, and 13 in the fourth quarter to seal the game for the Warriors. Durant killed the Kings from behind the arc shooting 6-for-7 from downtown and finished hitting 12-for-17 from the field overall.

Key Stats:

  • Shot 17-for-33 from 3-point land
  • Had nine turnovers in the second quarter, which is a season high in TO’s for a quarter
  • Zaza Pachulia grabbed a game high 13 rebounds
  • Splash Brothers combined for 43 points
  • Out rebounded the Kings 51-33

Golden State Warriors Friday game wrap: Warriors turn ball over 25 times, still able to beat Kings 119-104

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Photo credit: nba.com

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Golden State Warriors, still smarting from a 30-point loss to the Utah Jazz, traveled to Sacramento to face the lowly Sacramento Kings at Golden 1 Center. The Warriors have not lost two consecutive games in a row this season, and they were hoping the Sacramento would be their sacrificial lamb. The Kings, who beat the Warriors in Oakland the last time they met, had other thoughts. The Kings, who are in rebuild mode, gave the Warriors a fierce fight before succumbing 119-105. The 14-point lead at the end of the game was the biggest lead the Warriors had all night.

The Kings, coached by Dave Joerger, usually play a slow-tempo game. Most teams try to avoid an uptempo game with the Warriors as they know that the Warriors love to run and move the ball. The Warriors usually play great defense, and with the teams running up and down the court, the Warriors normally prevail. The Warriors did win but it wasn’t easy, and the game was much closer than the score at the end of the game. The Warriors played a very sloppy game as they were careless with their passes and careless handling the ball. The Warriors committed 25 turnovers and were still able to win. When the Warriors make more than 17 turnovers in a game, their record was 10-8 and less the 17, their record is 33-3.

The first two quarters of the game was competitive. The Warriors won both quarters by three points and led 58-52 at the half.  Kevin Durant led the club with 17, and Steph Curry added 13. The Warriors were able to take a nine-point lead after three periods 84-75, and it looked like they had taken control of the game. The Kings, to their credit, had other thoughts and made a run early in the final stanza to close the game to 89-88. The Kings’ Buddy Hield, who came to Sacramento last season in the trade the sent DeMarcus Cousins to the Crescent City, got hot and gave the Kings the spark they were looking for. The Warriors regained their composure to go on an 8-0 run to make it 97-88. That run seemed to knock the spirit out of the Kings, and the Warriors were able to put the game in the win column 119-105.

Game Notes and Stats: The Warriors were without four players Friday night. David West, Shaun Livingstone, Andre Iguodala, and Jordan Bell did not play. Bell is rehabbing from a sprained ankle, and Coach Steve Kerr gave the other three veterans the night off.

The Warriors shot 55% from the floor while holding Sacramento to 44.2%. The Kings, However, took 15 more shots than the Warriors. Had they been able to make some of those shots, the final score might have been different.

Durant led the Warriors with 33. Steph had 23, Klay 17, Draymond 13. Nick Young had 9, and JaVale McGee added 4. When McGee was in the game, the Warriors seemed to play with more energy.

The Kings had six players in double figures. They were running and finding the open man just as they were trying to emulate the Warriors’ style of play. Rookie De’Aaron Fox, who is on his way to stardom, tallied 14. Willie Cauley-Stein 13, the ageless Zach Randolph 18, Justin Jackson 17, Bogdan Bogdanovic 12, and Buddy Hield had 16.

The Warriors improve to 41-11 while the Kings drop to 16-35.

Up Next: The Warriors play the Denver Nuggets Saturday night in Denver.

Sportstalk Podcast Remote at LaTerraza Mexican Restaurant in downtown Sacramento Thu Feb 1, 2018

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photo from La Terraza Mexican Restaurant Facebook Page: View of La Terraza from Second Street in Old Sacramento

(Cast) Charlie O (host and Sacramento Kings beat writer), Jerry Feitelberg (Golden State Warriors beat writer), Tony the Tiger Hayes (Baseball columnist), Jeremiah Salmonson (Oakland A’s reporter), Morris Phillips (Cal Bears beat writer), Jordan Chapin (Sacramento Kings writer), and Lee Leonard (producer).

Tonight’s podcast covers the Sacramento Kings and NBA Headlines.

Our thanks to La Terraza Mexican Restaurant at 1027 Second Street Old Sacramento and general manager Jorge Rodriguez for their kind invitation and having us podcast from their beautiful Mexican traditional restaurant in Old Sacramento as always it’s an unforgettable experience to podcast from La Terraza.

Located in the beautiful, historic Old Sacramento, La Terraza welcomes all its guests with its pleasant charm, delightful decor and its fabulous cuisine, Whether you are looking for a romantic dinner for two or a large celebration – allow us to take care of you. Relax and unwind in our newly renovated dining room, enjoy one of our signature cocktails at our full bar while watching the game, or enjoy the view from our beautiful , outdoor terrace overlooking the city. We are the perfect place for any special occasion.

Visit us on Facebook and like our page to stay on top of La Terraza events and promotions

 

 

Kings defeat the Pelicans 114-103 in NOLA to finish road trip with a 3-3 record

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by Charlie O. Mallonee

The Sacramento Kings beat the Pelicans in New Orleans for the second time this season by downing the Pels 114-103 on Tuesday night. The victory allowed the Kings to finish their six-game, 13-day road trip with a surprising 3-3 record.

For the naysayers out there, yes the Pelicans were without DeMarcus Cousins who is out for the rest of the season after rupturing his left achilles last Friday versus the Rockets. The Kings were without the services of Willie Cauley-Stein, Skal Labissiere, Frank Manson, Malachi Richardson and their head coach Dave Joerger.

Why did the Kings win the game?

Two sets of stats really explain why Sacramento came away with the “W” Tuesday night. The Kings out-rebounded the Pelicans 49-36 but even more important than the over all numbers is the offensive rebound count.

SAC pulled down 14 balls off the offensive glass while NOLA grabbed just two offensive rebounds. The Kings scored 26 second chance points converting 10-of-11 opportunities. The Pelicans scored zero second chance points and literally had no second opportunities in the contest. It is virtually impossible to win a game playing one shot and done basketball in “the Association”.

Rebounding made the difference in the game for Sacramento in New Orleans.

Top Performers

Kings

  • Star of the Game honors go to Zach Randolph who scored a game-high 26 points and made it a double-double game posting 12 rebounds. Z-Bo shot 11-for-23 from the floor and hit 3-of-6 three-point attempts. The veteran big man also played very physical versus New Orleans star Anthony Davis.
  • Kosta Koufos earns Special Co-Star of the Game status by starting the game and playing 37-plus minutes to post a double-double of his own. Koufos put up 17 points and recorded 17 rebounds (seven offensive rebounds). Koufos hit 7-of-12 shots from the field.
  • Co-Star of the Game credit goes to De’Aaron Fox for scoring 15 points, hauling in six rebounds and dishing out four assists in 27-minutes of playing time. Fox had a +9 rating for his time on the court.

Pelicans

  • New Orleans Star of the Game honors go to reserve shooting guard Ian Clark who played over 29-minutes scoring 20-points while hitting 9-of-10 field goal attempts. Only one of his field goals was a 3-point conversion. Clark also recorded six rebounds.
  • Anthony Davis receives Co-Star credit for the game. With Boogie Cousins gone for the season, the weight of success falls squarely on the shoulders of Davis. He scored a team-high 23 points and made it a double-double by recording 13 rebounds. Davis went 9-for-10 from the free throw line.
  • Jrue Holiday gets a Best Supporting Player nod for contributing 20 points but he went just 9-for-20 shooting from the floor to score those points. Holiday did not post a single rebound.

Key Stats

Sacramento (16-34)

  • The Kings hit 46-of-97 shots (47.4-percent) from the field for the game. They took 20 more attempts than the Pelicans and made seven more field goals than New Orleans.
  • Sacramento converted 10-of-26 three-point attempts (38.5-percent) which was one more made 3-point field goal than the Pels hit in the game.
  • The Kings outscored the Pelicans in the paint 52-42.

New Orleans (27-23)

  • The Pelicans shot 50.6-percent from the field (39-for-77) for the game but it was 20 less attempts and seven less conversions than the Kings put in the books.
  • New Orleans won the battle of Fast Break points outscoring the Kings 23-22 for the game.
  • The Pels dished out more assists (26-22) than the Kings but they were not enough to turn the tide of the game.

Up Next

Kings

The Kings flew home after the game and were able to sleep in their own beds for the first time in 13 days. They will be off until Friday night when they have the unenviable task of hosting the world champion Golden State Warriors at the Golden 1 Center.

Pelicans

New Orleans will hit the road and will play the Thunder in OKC on Friday night.