Category: NBA

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!!!

The Jazz hand Kings their sixth consecutive loss 120-105; rookie Mitchell puts up 34 points for UTA

Published on by Charlie O. MalloneeLeave a comment

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by Charlie O. Mallonee

Sacramento – Wednesday night was game one of the Sacramento Kings “youth movement” where the emphasis would be placed on getting the younger team members more time on the floor. Winning would be the secondary goal.

That sounds like a potentially painful proposition, and it proved to be very painful versus the visiting Utah Jazz.

Both teams entered the contest looking to end losing streaks. The Jazz had lost two consecutive games. The Kings were losers in their previous five match ups. This was Sacramento’s last home game before heading out on their longest road trip of the season to face Memphis, Charlotte, Orlando, Miami, San Antonio and finally Boogie Cousins and the New Orleans Pelicans.

This game looked winnable and they needed a win.

The Kings – who led by as many as 10 points in the first quarter – lost the lead for the final time with 8:58 remaining in the second period. They would trail by 10 points at the half, by 15 points at the end of three quarters and 15 at the final buzzer.

SAC could not find a “lock-down defense” that could stop rookie sensation Donovan Mitchell who seemed to score at will, and Rodney Hood who may have played his best game of the year for the Jazz.

Kings head coach Dave Joerger analyzed the game in nine words, ” … we need to play with a lot more nasty.”

What the coaches had to say after the game

Stars of the Game

Jazz

  • Rookie Guard Donovan Mitchell was without a doubt the star of the game for Utah. He scored a game-high 34 points in just over 34 minutes of playing time. Whenever a player scores a point per minute played, he has had an outstanding game. Mitchell shot 14 for 19 overall and converted five of seven from the free throw line. He also contributed three assists and made three steals.
  • Rodney Hood – the fourth year player out of Duke – also had an outstanding game scoring 25 points to earn co-star honors. Hood hit nine of 16 field goal shots and made four of nine 3-point attempts. He went a perfect three for three from the charity stripe. Hood grabbed eight rebounds and made two steals.
  • Joe Ingles and Derrick Favors must also receive best supporting performance awards. Ingles put up 14 points going four for seven from 3-point land. Favors also scored 14 and he pulled down 11 rebounds to make it a double-double game.

Kings

  • Willie Cauley-Stein receives the star of the game for the Kings for recording a double-double. WCS scored 26 points and hauled in 10 rebounds in almost 37 minutes on the floor. He shot 11 for 18 from the field. Cauley-Stein was the Kings high-scorer.
  • Sacramento’s co-star has to be Bogdan Bogdanovic who posted 25 points in 39 minutes of playing time. Bogey shot nine for 11 overall and was a perfect six for six from behind the 3-point line. He also grabbed six rebounds.
  • George Hill gets a featured player credit for scoring 20 points in 36 minutes versus his former teammates. He shot six for 10 from the floor and four for five from 3-point land. Hill also recorded three steals. Many still believe that the Kings are showcasing Hill for possible trades before the February 8th trade deadline.

Key Stats

Utah

  • The Jazz shot 56.8-percent (46 for 81) overall for the game. They hit 12 of 29 attempts from behind the 3-point line (41.4-percent).
  • Utah took advantage of the free throw line converting 16 of 20 (80-percent) opportunities.
  • The Jazz dished out 26 steals while committing only 10 turnovers to exceed the desired goal of a 2:1 ratio. The Kings scored 19 points off the 10 Jazz turnovers.
  • Utah made 15 steals in the contest.

Sacramento

  • The Kings shot an impressive 52.8-percent (38 for 72) from the floor. They just did not have enough attempts and conversions to keep pace with the Jazz.
  • SAC shot an impressive 13 for 21 (61.9-percent) from behind the 3-point arc.
  • The Kings had 19 assists and 19 turnovers. A 1 to 1 ratio is not acceptable. The Jazz scored 27 points off those 19 Sacramento turnovers.

Up Next

Sacramento

The Kings will return to action on Friday in Memphis versus the Grizzlies. Sacramento lost to Memphis 114-96 on New Year’s Eve in SAC.

Utah

The Jazz will host the Knicks on Friday night in Salt Lake City.

 

 

Curry and Thompson carry Warriors past Bulls 119-112

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Photo credit: @nbastats

By: Ana Kieu

The Golden State Warriors played the fourth game of their five-game road trip against the Chicago Bulls at the United Center on Wednesday night.

Prior to the lopsided matchup, the Warriors walked into Chicago with a three-game win streak–all on the road; while the Bulls had a two-game win streak in their hands.

The Warriors were hit by some bad luck as Jordan Bell sprained his left ankle during the game and never returned, but that didn’t affect their performance against the Bulls.

JaVale McGee is not quite a dunk icon yet, but he made a dunk late in the first quarter. The Warriors’ defense struggled a bit, but their offense allowed them to trail the Bulls by just two (40-38) at the end of the first.

David West got the block on one end and the assist at the other end. Klay Thompson continued doing his thing, hitting three-pointers. Steph Curry also went left off the glass. The Warriors continued to trail the Bulls, 66-63, at halftime.

Here are the Warriors’ halftime stats:

The Warriors started the second half on the right foot. The Splash Brothers were a combined 12 of 19 from the three-point range in the third quarter. Golden State also went on a tremendous 19-0 run to end the third on a high note.

The Warriors led the Bulls 95-78 at the end of the third.

Thompson continued to do Thompson things in the fourth quarter. In addition, Patrick McCaw pulled up for a two-point field goal, giving the Warriors a large 112-99 lead with five minutes left in regulation.

The Warriors beat the Bulls 119-112. With the win, Golden State won their fourth straight overall game and 13th consecutive road game, tying the fifth longest winning streak in NBA history.

Here are the Warriors’ final stats:

https://twitter.com/warriors/status/953830840030474240

Notes
Warriors’ injury update: Draymond Green (right shoulder soreness) and Andre Iguodala (left calf contusion) are out.

For the first time in franchise history, the Bulls have made 15+ three-pointers in three games in a row.

Up Next
The Warriors close out their road trip with a game against the Houston Rockets on Saturday at 7:30 pm CT.

The Thunder beat the Kings 95-88; Sacramento has lost five in a row

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Photo credit: @SacramentoKings

By Charlie O. Mallonee

The Sacramento Kings suffered their fifth loss in a row as the Oklahoma City Thunder won 95-88 at Chesapeake Energy Arena on Monday night. The Kings’ losing streak may not end anytime soon with their intensified commitment to player development continues.

Sacramento went with a very young starting five on Monday night. Dave Joerger tapped Skal Labissiere, Willie Cauley-Stein, Bogdan Bogdanovic, De’Aaron Fox and Garrett Temple to start the game. Temple was the only starter who was not playing on his original NBA contract and he played just under 18 minutes in the game.

Buddy Hield and Justin Jackson saw significant playing time coming off the bench for Sacramento. Veteran point guard George Hill played just over 24 minutes, but that may be the Kings trying to showcase Hill for a possible trade. There have been persistent rumors that the Nuggets have real interest in picking up Hill who has become expendable with the emergence of Frank Mason.

The Kings played well in the first-half and actually held the lead at halftime 52-46. De’Aaron Fox and George Hill each scored 10 points in the half to lead the Sacramento scoring attack.

As it has been so often this season, the third quarter was the Kings downfall. The Thunder outscored Sacramento 31-16 in the quarter. Carmelo Anthony put up 15 points for OKC shooting 5 for 11 in the period. The Kings used nine players in the quarter but only three of them scored. Willie Cauley-Stein posted seven points, Bogdan Bogdanovic scored six and Garrett Temple recorded three points.

The Kings had a glimmer of hope in the fourth quarter when Russell Westbrook received back-to-back technical fouls and was ejected from the game with 2:51 remaining to play in the contest and the Thunder leading 91-80.

Sacramento was never able to cut the Oklahoma City lead to less than seven points and wound up losing the game 95-88. The Kings are now 13-30 on the season and reside in last-place in the Western Conference. The Thunder’s record improved to 24-20 which puts them in fifth-place in the Western Conference.

Stars of the Game

Thunder

  • The “Big Three” for OKC take the honors and that is really no surprise. Carmelo Anthony scored a game-high 20 points shooting 7 for 19 and grabbing nine rebounds as well. Russell Westbrook posted a double-double with 19 points and 16 rebounds. Paul George put 18 points in the book.
  • Steven Adams receives the award for “mouth of the game”. The big man did not stop chirping at the officials throughout entire contest. If Westbrook was ejected for going overboard with his complaints, Adams should have received the same punishment. The constant negative chatter directed at the officials has to stop. Adams scored 13 points shooting 5 for 11 from the floor, but he hit only 3 of 12 from the charity stripe.

Kings

  • Buddy Hield led the scoring attack for Sacramento. Hield came off the bench to score 16 points in almost 28 minutes on the floor. Hield shot just 6 for 15 and was 0 for 5 from behind the 3-Point line. He was a perfect 4 for 4 at the free throw line.
  • Willie Cauley-Stein had another strong game. The Kings starting center played 39 minutes and 52 seconds in the game and scored 15 points. He hit 6 of 13 field goal attempts while pulling down seven rebounds and adding three steals.

Key Stats

OKC

  • The Thunder out-rebounded the Kings 58-37. Of their 58 rebounds, 18 came on offense. Those 18 offensive rebounds turned into 13 second chance points for the Thunder.
  • Turnovers: OKC had 20 TOV but they led to just seven points for Sacramento. The Kings committed 15 turnovers which the Thunder turned into 18 points.

SAC

  • The Kings had a 15 point lead at one point in the game.
  • SAC scored 13 second chance points converting 5 of 6 opportunities.
  • The used 10 players in the game including Georgios Papagiannis.

Up Next

Kings

SAC will host the Utah Jazz on Wednesday night at the Golden 1 Center. The Kings will then head out on a six game road trip – the longest of the year.

Thunder

OKC will host the Lakers on Wednesday night.

Warriors pick up third straight road win with 118-108 victory over Cavaliers

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Photo credit: @warriors

By: Ana Kieu

The Golden State Warriors continued their road trip with a Martin Luther King Jr. Day matchup against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Quicken Loans Arena on Monday.

The Warriors’ starters consisted of Kevin Durant, Draymond Green, Jordan Bell, Klay Thompson and Stephen Curry.

Thompson got things going in Cleveland with a catch and shoot early in the first quarter. He got a total of 11 points in his speedy run.

However, the Cavs went toe-to-toe with the Warriors and they were up 25-23 with 4:14 left in the first. Golden State then tied the game at 25 on a commanding two-point shot by Durant.

The Warriors trailed the Cavs 37-35 at the end of the first.

Curry, Durant and Shaun Livingston made the necessary shots in the second quarter, but the Warriors continued to trail the Cavs 64-57 at halftime.

Here are the Warriors’ halftime stats:

Durant and Green weren’t having it in the third quarter. Curry dunked like it was nothing. Curry also took a pass from Durant and attacked the rim with a two-handed jam. In addition, Curry hit quite a few 3-pointers.

But the Warriors had to settle for a two-point lead, 93-91, over the Cavs at the end of the third. Golden State had hoped for a strong finish in a tough matchup against Cleveland.

The Warriors got their largest lead of the game in the fourth quarter. Nick Young made a jumper to give his team a 10-point lead with 5:08 left in regulation. Green had a perfect vision to Andre Iguodala.

The Warriors finished off the Cavs to win the game 118-108 for their third straight road win.

Here are the Warriors’ final stats:

Notes
Warriors’ injury update: Omri Casspi (low back soreness), Andre Iguodala (hip flexor strain) and Shaun Livingston is (left shin contusion) are available to play.

Cavs’ injury update: Derrick Rose (left ankle sprain) and Iman Shumpert (left knee effusion) are out.

When the holiday became nationally recognized in 1986, Cleveland has played on MLK Day 16 times (9-7 record). Today was the 11th time the Cavs will play on the holiday at home and will just be the fifth time the Cavs have played on MLK Day at Quicken Loans Arena (2002 vs. Heat, 2014 vs. Mavs, 2015 vs. Bulls, 2016 vs. Warriors).

Up Next
The Warriors take on the Bulls in Chicago on Wednesday at 7 pm CT.

Kings Press Row Podcast for Week 13 in the NBA – who could be traded

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ClipsKingsHosts Charlie O & Jordan “Chape” Chapin

A look back at Week 13 in the NBA for the Sacramento Kings.

      • The Kings offense vs. Spurs, Lakers & Clippers
        Which Kings excelled in Week 13
      • Who should be starting for the Kings
      • Who may not be a King after February 8th
      • A look ahead at the schedule for Week 14

Warriors find a way to beat Raptors 127-125

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Photo credit: @warriors

By: Ana Kieu

The Golden State Warriors continued their five-game road trip with a Canadian game against the Toronto Raptors at Air Canada Centre Saturday night.

Both teams were looking to pick up two wins in a row, but there could only be one winner in the Great White North. Before the game, the Warriors beat the Milwaukee Bucks 108-94 and the Raptors blew out the Cleveland Cavaliers 133-99.

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

The Warriors went on a 7-0 run and Curry apparently got his groove back in the first quarter. Golden State was up by eight (43-35) at the end of the first.

The Warriors started the second quarter with a 16-2 run. Green made a perfect lob to Durant. Golden State had 79 first half points, their season-high for any half (previously 78, done three times).

The Warriors carried a 81-54 lead to the locker room at the end of the first half.

Here are the Warriors’ halftime stats:

Durant made quite a few noteworthy shots in the third quarter. As expected, Curry continued to prove why he’s deserving of your NBA All-Star votes. The Warriors led the Raptors by 19 (108-89) at the end of the third.

The Raptors challenged Durant’s jumper, but it was a good play. The Warriors were up by three with 21 seconds left in regulation.

The Warriors didn’t play much defense, but they still managed to pull off a 127-125 win over the Raptors in the second game of their five-game road trip.

Here are the Warriors’ final stats:

Notes
Warriors’ injury update: Stephen Curry (sprained right ankle) and Andre Iguodala (hip flexor strain) are available to play. Omri Casspi (low back soreness) is out.

Up Next
The Warriors take on the Cavs on Monday at 8 pm ET.

Clippers get back to .500, complete sweep over Kings

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Photo credit: @SacramentoKings

By Pearl Allison Lo

LOS ANGELES — Despite their injuries, the Clippers worked back to an even-steven record in a towering 126-105 win over the Sacramento Kings at Staples Center Saturday.

The last time Los Angeles was at .500 was on November 7. Along with a four-game win streak, the Clippers completed a four-game sweep over Sacramento, sweeping the team for the first time since the 2013-14 regular season. This blowout continued a trend of close then blowout games between the teams.  

Los Angeles was facing the Kings for the second game in a row. Thursday was when the Clippers’ DeAndre Jordan got injured, and to be safe, Jordan (ankle) missed his first career game due to injury in 10 years.

Willie Reed, who started instead of Jordan, got his first double-double of the season with 14 points and a game-tying 13 rebounds.

Los Angeles’ Lou Williams led all scorers with 26 points. Sacramento’s Willie Cauley-Stein had a double-double of 23 points and a game-tying 13 rebounds. Teammate De’Aaron Fox also had a double-double of 17 points and a game-high 10 assists.

Clippers’ forward Blake Griffin’s thoughts on them being a fun team to coach were, “…even with all the injuries and having to be on the sideline. This team really bonds with each other, really vibes well with each other. I think we just play hard…I agree with [Doc Rivers] that this is a really fun team and we have kind of a special bond.”

Los Angeles led ever since 9:39 left in the first when it was 5-4.

The Kings started off with a 4-0 run but then the Clippers surpassed them with a 10-0 run, initiated by Reed’s triple. Sacramento either missed or lost the ball, as they missed three 3-pointers. Griffin accounted for half of the 10 points, as he and Milos Teodosic both hit threes. Garrett Temple was able to score four points, but Williams was able to score three free throws from one of Sacramento’s fouls with 6:08 left.

The Kings could not connect on more than two possessions as Los Angeles went to the line four times. The Clippers shot 58.8% from the field while Sacramento shot 36.4%. Los Angeles’ Tyrone Wallace led all scorers with six points. Reed had five rebounds and two steals.

On the turnover troubles and taking care of the ball, Kings’ head coach Dave Joeger replied, “It’s just bad passes and bad ball-handling. It’s just individual work and guys just got to improve their individual skills.”

Fox mentioned, “…It happens, that’s the cost of playing fast. We’re still getting used to it and trying to cut down…”

In the second, the Kings never got closer than 13, but improved greatly in getting their biggest run so far at seven points, Cauley-Stein with four points and Vince Carter hitting a three with 6:07 left. Sacramento also went to the free throw line and scored from beyond the arc for the first time and shot 45.8% from the field.  The Clippers reached their highest lead of the game at the time, 21 points with 19.3 seconds left, but Buddy Hield pulled up for a first half score of 64-45. Williams led in the second with 10 points and three steals, Fox had seven points and four assists and Cauley-Stein nabbed six rebounds.

Cauley-Stein pointed out, “Our energy didn’t really come until the second-half, so by then they already got us in a hole and you got to try to chip away. You can’t make any mistakes if you want to play like that.”

The Clippers’ dominance continued to hold as the Kings were held at least 14 points away. The Clippers’ lead reached a high of 23 points when Jawun Evans, after heading to the basket, dropped the ball back to Montrezl Harrell, who followed up with a jam into the net.

In the final quarter, Los Angeles’ lead grew to 25 and the closest Sacramento got was 15. This was the only time the Kings were able to outscore the Clippers, 37-35, when Sacramento shot 75% from the field.

Regarding growing pains, Cauley-Stein suggested, “…it’s got to come from us holding each other accountable. Like enough is enough. I think coach is at that point where he’s not going to play you if you’re not doing the right thing and I think that’s how it should be. Kind of like a college team…we’re also young and a lot of us just came out of college too…”

Game notes: Los Angeles’ C.J. Williams continued his absence with a sprained right ankle.

Up next: Sacramento will finish their two-game road trip versus the Oklahoma City Thunder Monday at 5 pm PT.