Category: NBA

Warriors come back from 22-point halftime deficit to beat Sixers 124-116

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Golden State Warriors’ Stephen Curry, top, shoots as Philadelphia 76ers’ Joel Embiid, of Cameroon, bottom, defends during the second half of an NBA basketball game Saturday, Nov. 18, 2017, in Philadelphia. The Warriors won 124-116. (AP Photo/Chris Szagola)

by Jerry Feitelberg

The big question on everyone’s mind is this: How do they do it? How do they get pummeled by 22 points in the first and still come back to win? The Sixers outplayed the Warriors in the first half. They outscored the Warriors 47-28 in the first quarter and led 74-52 at the end of the first 24 minutes of play. The Warriors–still smarting from the 92-88 loss to Boston Thursday night–regrouped and took control of the game in the third quarter as their defense held the Sixers to just 15 points while they scored 47. The Warriors did not relinquish the lead and won 124-116.

The young Sixers appeared to be blowing the Warriors out of the building in the first half. They shot 74% from the floor in the first quarter and finished the first half at 58% The Warriors shot 47% from the floor which isn’t terrible, but they could not stop the Sixer attack. The Sixers made seven 3-point shots while the Warriors connected just on one. The Sixers had four starters in double figures at the end of the half. Joel Embiid led the Sixers with 17. Ben Simmons had 15. J.J.Redick also had 15. Robert Covington knocked down 12, and Dario Saric pitched in with 9. Steph Curry led the Warriors with 15, and Kevin Durant followed with 14.

The Warriors trailed by 22 at the start of the third quarter.The Sixers increased the lead to 24 (76-52). The Warriors–as they have done so many times–found their game and started to make stops and played Warrior basketball. They found a way to move the ball and were able to find the open man. Durant and Curry led the offense, Nick Young made a big 3-point shot. Kevon Looney came in and helped energize the team on defense. The Warriors trailed by 10 87-77 with 5:30 left in the period. They continued to attack as Curry made a three to close the deficit to just one (89-88). The Warriors took the lead for good when Curry made two free throws to make it 90-89. Looney made a bucket, Curry connected on another 3-pointer, and Draymond Green finished the scoring in the period with a two-point bucket. The Warriors turned the game around outscoring the Sixers 47-15 and ended the third quarter leading 99-89.

The Warriors, behind David West and Klay Thompson, were able to increase the lead to 117-97. The Sixers fought back as they cut the lead to seven (120-113), but they ran out of time as the Warriors held on to win 124-116.

Game notes and stats — With the win, the Warriors improve to 12-4 and are 1-1 on the four-game road trip. The Sixers fall to 8-7. The Warriors had five players in double figures. Curry led the team with 35 points, five assists, and five rebounds. Durant tallied 27. Klay Thompson had 17, David West had 14, and Zaza Pachulia had 10. Green scored eight points and had eight assists along with seven rebounds.

Scoring leaders for Philadelphia were Dario Saric with 13, Robert Covington with 20, J.J.Redick with 20, Joel Embiid with 21, and Ben Simmons with 23.

The Warriors held Embiid to just four points in the second half. The Dubs held Redick to 5, Saric 4, and Simmons 8.

After the game, Curry said this about the win: “We got stops which is key.” We “found a way to give ourselves some life.” He noted that the Warriors just didn’t play well in the first half but “we moved the ball a lot better” in the second half as the Warriors found a way to score 47 points in the third quarter and put the clamps on the Sixers offense.

Steve Kerr remarked this about the play of his team in the third period: “We were more poised in the third quarter.” “They dominated the first half, but we corralled them in the second half.”

The Warriors play the Brooklyn Nets Sunday afternoon in Brooklyn. Game time is at 3 pm.

There’s no place like home … Kings beat Portland 86-82 in SAC on Friday night

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Portland Kings win
Cauley-Stein and Koufos helped lead the Kings to victory over Portland Photo USA Today Sports

by Charlie O. Mallonee

SACRAMENTO–After the horrific loss suffered by the Kings in Atlanta on Wednesday night, Dave Joerger knew he had to do something to stop the bleeding (losing) immediately or it could become a way of life for his young team. On Friday night, Joerger shook things up and it worked as the Kings beat the Portland Trail Blazers 86-82.

The loss not only shocked the Blazers but it stopped their two their two-game winning streak. Plus, Portland has to face this same Kings team on Saturday night at home. Which Kings team should they prepare for? Not necessarily the same Kings team they saw on Friday night. Sacramento is in experimental mode, so what happens one night may not be an indicator of what is going to happen in the next game.

Critics have been pointing their fingers at Sacramento saying they cannot win games in the NBA if they scoring in the eighties every game. They scored just 86 on Friday night but they played tenacious defense holding Portland to just 82 points. The infamous Rip City Ballers shot just 37-percent (30-for-81) overall and just 28-percent (7-for-25) from behind the 3-point line. Hard nosed defense was the key to the Kings victory.

Kings head coach Dave Joerger called it an emotional, bounce back win

De’Aaron Fox said defense was a point of emphasis going into the game

Willie Cauley-Stein said he had been waiting for the coaching staff to put Koufos and him together on the floor

The odds are against Sacramento on Saturday night

Road teams in the second games of back-to-back sets lose more often than they win. However, this road game has some advantages. It is only a 90-minute flight away. Portland is in the same time zone, and the Kings are coming off an emotional win that they might be able to ride for another 24 hours.

The game in Portland tips-off at 7 p.m.

The Trail Blazers will be back in Sacramento on February 29, 2018.

Warriors lose a close one to Boston Celtics 92-88

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Boston Celtics’ Jaylen Brown (7) and Golden State Warriors’ Stephen Curry battle for a loose ball during the first quarter of an NBA basketball game in Boston, Thursday, Nov. 16, 2017. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer)

by Jerry Feitelberg

BOSTON — The Boston Celtics won their 14th game in a row Thursday night s they came back from a 17-point deficit to beat the Warriors 92-88 and snapped the Warriors’ seven-game win streak.

The Celtics, who are number one in defense in the NBA, shut down the Warriors vaunted offense and held the Warriors to a season-low 88 points. Two-time MVP, Steph Curry, who missed the last game with a right thigh contusion was held to just nine points. Steph was three-for fourteen from the field and 2-for-9 from the 3-point range. His Splash Brother partner, Klay Thompson, was held to 13 points.

The Warriors looked sharp in the first quarter as they finished the period leading by 10 (28-18). They increased the lead to 17, but the Celtics were able to claw their way back and trailed by five at the end of the first half (47-42).

The Celtics outscored the Warriors 26-21 in the third quarter and won the game in the fourth quarter as they held the Warriors to just 20 points while scoring 24.

Game notes and stats — The Warriors shot 40.2% from the floor and held Boston to just 32.9%. Normally, these numbers would give the Warriors the win. The Celtics won the game as the Warriors were called for 24 fouls and had 38 free throw attempts. The Celtics recorded 33 points from the free throw line while Golden State made just 12 free throws. The 21-point disparity made up the difference and sent Boston to a victory.

Kevin Durant led the Warriors with 24 points, three assists, and three rebounds. Draymond Green tallied 11 (five assists, eight rebounds, and three blocked shots). The Golden State defense had nine steals and 10 blocks in the game.

Celtics point guard Kyrie Irving scored 11 of his 16 points in the fourth quarter. Most of them came from the charity stripe. The Celtics were led by Jalen Brown. Brown, who played college basketball at Berkeley, scored 22 points and had seven rebounds. Al Horford had a double-double with 18 points and 11 boards.

After the game, Curry had this to say about his performance: “It was just one of those nights…We had control of the game despite how bad we all were shooting. We just didn’t sustain ourselves defensively.”

Curry sat for a long stretch after picking up his fourth foul early in the third quarter.

“We kind of fell out of our rotation in the third quarter,” head coach Steve Kerr said. “They were just tougher and smarter than we were tonight.”

The Warriors are now 11-4 while Boston improves to 14-2.

The Warriors play the Philadelphia 76ers Saturday night. Game time is at 5 pm.

Kings lose third straight game in 126-80 laugher to Hawks

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Atlanta Hawks forward John Collins (20) has the ball knocked away by Sacramento Kings center Georgios Papagiannis (13) during the second half of an NBA basketball game Wednesday, Nov. 15, 2017, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/John Bazemore)

By: Ana Kieu

ATLANTA — The Sacramento Kings suffered a third straight loss in a 126-80 blowout by the Atlanta Hawks at Phillips Arena on Wednesday night.

The Kings were hoping to snap a two-game losing skid while the Hawks were in an even worse situation, losing four of their last five games. Unfortunately, Sacramento unable to achieve the goal they initially had in mind and Atlanta caught them off guard in a 126-80 blowout win on home court.

The Kings suffered a horrible loss, but at least they were savage from start to finish.

The Kings trailed by eight (24-16 Hawks lead) at the end of the first quarter.

Kosta Koufos’ field goal pulled the Kings within five (26-21 Hawks lead) with 10:50 left in the second quarter. But the Hawks offense came alive and that wasn’t an understatement as they finished the quarter with 40 points.

The Kings trailed the Hawks 64-35 at the end of the first half. But you can’t deny the fact the besieged team had some fun on Twitter during halftime.

The Kings’ misery didn’t stop in the second half as they continued to dig themselves into a hole in a 92-61 deficit to the Hawks at the end of the third quarter.

As expected, the Kings dug themselves in a hole and never got back up in what eventually became a 126-80 blowout loss to the Hawks at the end of regulation. Luckily, Sacramento will return home to host the Trail Blazers before a rematch at the Moda Center.

Notes
Kings’ starting lineup
George Hill
Garrett Temple
Willie Cauley-Stein
Bogdan Bogdanovic
Zach Randolph

Hawks’ starting lineup
Dennis Schroeder
Kent Bazemore
Dewayne Dedmon
Taurean Price
Luke Babbitt

Up Next
Kings return home to host the Trail Blazers on Friday, November 17 at 7 pm PST.

Hawks finish their homestand against the Celtics on Saturday, November 18 at 7:30 pm EST.

Kings Press Row Podcast: Week 5 in the NBA or Hard Times on the Road

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press row podcast

with Charlie O and Lee Leonard

  • What’s scheduled to happen in Week 5 for the NBA?

  • What significant milestones will we celebrate this week?

  • What are the best games that we will be able to watch on national TV?

  • How well did the Kings play in New York & D.C.?

  • What do they have to do to win in the ATL?

  • What’s coming up for the Kings as they come home to Sacramento?

These topics and more on this edition of the Kings Press Row Podcast.

That’s Amaury’s News and Commentary: NY Sportswriter tweets N-word regarding LeBron during brawl with Knicks Kanter; Judge and Bellinger MLB Rookies of the Year plus more

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Cleveland Cavaliers’ LeBron James, center, discusses with New York Knicks’ Enes Kanter, center right, and Courtney Lee, center left, during the first half of a NBA basketball game at Madison Square Garden in New York, Monday, Nov. 13, 2017. (AP Photo/Andres Kudacki)

On That’s Amaury’s Podcast:

1 Peter Vecsey a long time veteran New York sportswriter covering the Cleveland Cavaliers at New York Knicks game at Madison Square Garden Monday night tweeted the N-word edited when referring to the Cavs LeBron James after his scrum on the floor with the Knicks Enes Kanter. Vecsey used rapper Nortorius B.I.G.’s rap in the tweet and used the edited version of the N word which got a ton load of negative responses for Vecsey using the slur and Vecsey used it toward Cavs star LeBron. The heat is on.

2 Ocscar De La Hoya retired boxer said he was considering returning to the ring to take on UFC star Conor McGregor. De La Hoya in his 50s said he has been secretly training and that he could take McGregor in two rounds. What development transpires from the De La Hoya proposal is yet forthcoming but know the two boxers and the publicity and profits from such a match they would accept any kind of huge booking

3 The New York Yankees Aaron Judge was happy to accept the nomination of winning the American League Rookie of the Year for 2017 and Judge is expected to win the 2017  AL MVP as well

4 The Los Angeles Dodgers Cody Bellinger accepted the news that he was anointed the National League Rookie of the Year. Bellinger who played in this years World Series said it took lots of hard work and determination to achieve the award.

5 The NL Manager of the Year Award will most likely be Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts who is in his first year of managing and what a way to have a rookie year as skipper than to get into your first World Series as manager as well

Amaury does News and Commentary each week and the podcast every Tuesday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

 

 

Warriors down Orlando Magic 110-100 win their seventh in a row

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Golden State Warriors’ Kevin Durant celebrates after scoring against the Orlando Magic during the second half of an NBA basketball game Monday, Nov. 13, 2017, in Oakland, Calif. The Warriors won 110-100. (AP Photo/Ben Margot)

by Jerry Feitelberg

Oakland — The Golden State Warriors, playing without Stephen Curry Monday night, beat the Orlando Magic 110-100 to win their seventh straight game and eighth in the last nine. The Warriors are now 11-3 for the season. The Magic, coached by Frank Vogel, gave the Warriors all they could handle in the first half of the game. The Warriors came to life in the third quarter and put the game away. It wasn’t as easy as the last six games, but they still won. The Warriors and Magic ended the first half tied at 56.

The team game was tied 10 times in the first half. The veteran Shaun Livingston filled in for Curry. Shaun didn’t score much in the first half, but he was dynamite in the third quarter. Kevin Durant led the Warriors in scoring with 12. Klay Thompson had eight and Draymond Green knocked down seven. The Magic was led by Nikola Vucevic who scored 13. Big Aaron Gordon, who happens to be from San Francisco, tallied 10.The Warriors outscored the magic by 13 points in the third quarter. Frank Vogel’s team likes to shoot 3-pointers. They made 10 in the game on 32 attempts. The Warriors made just eight, but the Warriors were dominant on the boards and scored 54 points in the paint to win the game.Golden State had won six games in a row by 17 points and had they done that Monday night, they would have set an NBA record. They increased the lead to 20 and at that point, Warriors’ coach Steve Kerr inserted the bench players into the game. The Magic cut the deficit to ten, but they ran out of time as they fell to the Warriors.

Game notes and stats — Kevin Durant led the Warriors with 21 points, eight assists, and seven rebounds. Durant did not block a shot as the Magic kept firing from beyond the three-point arc. Draymond Green tallied twenty points, and he had five assists. Livingston finished with sixteen points, six assists, and two rebounds in just 20 minutes of action. Klay Thompson added 15.

Nick Young, Kevon Looney, Omri Casspi, and Andre Iguodala all made significant contributions in the win. David West also played well. Vucevic led the Magic with twenty points. The Warriors held Aaron Gordon scoreless in the second half, and he finished the night with 10. Terence Ross had 11, and Evan Fournier knocked down 16 for Orlando. Jonathan Simmons signed as free agent after playing with the San Antonio Spurs last season, scored 13. Former Warrior Mo Speights recorded nine points, and he and David West go tangled up under the basket late in the game. The referees went right there and separated the two big men. No fouls or technicals were called, and the game went on.

The Warriors play the next four games on the road. They meet the very hot Boston Celtics Thursday night in Boston. The Celtics have won 12 in a row after losing the first two games of the year. The Warriors meet the Philadelphia Sixers Saturday night in Philadelphia. The Warriors beat the Sixers last Saturday at Oracle Arena. They then play the Brooklyn Nets Sunday night and finish the road trip on November 22nd in Oklahoma City. Game time for the Boston game will be at 5 pm.

Kings drop second straight game in 110-92 loss to Wizards

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Sacramento Kings guard George Hill, right, and Washington Wizards guard Bradley Beal reach for the ball during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Monday, Nov. 13, 2017, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)

By: Ana Kieu

The final score was a little closer this time, but the Sacramento Kings dropped their second straight game in a 110-92 loss to the Washington Wizards at Capital One Arena on Monday night.

The Kings were looking to bounce back after a rough 118-91 loss to the Knicks while the Wizards were searching for their third straight win.

Randolph did Randolph things early in the game. The Kings had a 17-12 with 6:15 left in the first quarter.

George Hill also had an impact as he made a three-pointer with 3:56 left. Hill finished with 13 points and the Kings led the Wizards 32-25 at the end of the first quarter.

The Kings and Wizards had a back-and-forth second quarter. Kelly Oubre Jr. dunked it home to put Washington back on top (36-34) with 9:05 left. Sacramento then regained the lead (41-40) just 2:14 later when De’Aaron Fox threw a pass to Buddy Hield, who put the ball in the basket for a three-pointer.

The Kings trailed the Wizards 57-51 at the half. The Washington offense was on fire as John Wall scored 16 points, Mike Scott scored 10 points and Oubre Jr. had seven points along with seven rebounds.

Here’s a fun fact: The Kings were off to a nice start from beyond the arc, shooting six-for-nine from the three-point range (courtesy of Coors Light).

The Wizards’ offense remained dominant in the second half. Wall led the team with 19 points, Marcin Gortat scored 18 points and Otto Porter Jr. had 15 points along with seven rebounds. The Kings fell into an even deeper hole in an 86-71 deficit after the third quarter.

It was closing time in the nation’s capital as the Wizards put the game out of reach with a 91-71 lead over the Kings at the 10:35 mark of the fourth quarter. Although Fox did beat the shot clock buzzer from deep at one point, Sacramento (3-10) was unable to complete a comeback and Washington (8-5) got what they wanted: a third straight win to cap off a four-game homestand.

Notes
Kings starters
George Hill
Bogdan Bogdanovic
Garrett Temple
Zach Randolph
Willie Cauley-Stein

Up Next
The Kings visit the Hawks on Wednesday, November 15 at 7:30 pm.

The Wizards visit the Heat on Wednesday, November 15 at 7:30 pm.

Kings should start the “young guns” again tonight in D.C.

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by Charlie O. Mallonee

wiz beal drives on hield
Bradley Beal drives on Buddy Hield Photo USA Today Sports

The Kings and Wizards met in Sacramento on October 29th. Washington opened the game by going on a 13-0 run and the Wizards never trailed in the game as they went on to win 110-83.

The Kings went with a “youth movement” lineup of Bogdan Bogdanovic, Skal Labissiere, Willie Cauley-Stein, Buddy Hield and De’Aaron Fox. That may well be the starting lineup next season or two years from now, but it might be a bit premature to expect those five to carry the load of being the starting five right now.

In his postgame comments, Dave Joerger talked about his young players giving up 10 to 30 pounds and 5-7 years of experience to the starters for the Wizards. Enthusiasm and talent usually cannot overcome talent, size and experience.

Joerger also explained that his young starting five became “shell shocked”  and a bit disoriented after they fell behind by 13 points in less than five minutes to the Wizards.

What should the Kings do tonight?

AP17305007420296

In my opinion, Dave Joerger should run the same starting five he used versus the Wizards in Sacramento out on the floor to open the game on Monday night in Washington. My theory is based on learning to ride a bike. The first few times you attempt to ride you fall down. If you stop, you will never learn to ride. If you keep trying, you learn how to ride the bike with confidence.

Bogdanovic, Labissiere, Cauley-Stein, Hield and Fox need to get back up on “the bike” and face the Wizards from the start of the game to show themselves that they can compete with an experienced team. Even if they only play the opening five minutes, showing they can compete with the Wizards could be a real confidence builder for the young guns.

It’s all about player development

1-alt kings

The Kings as an organization have not made it a secret that this season is all about player development. When you have team full of young players, that has to be your commitment, but that approach can also demoralize your fan base who only understand wins and loses.

I have said before that the Kings need to go the wins at home and play for development on the road. If a game becomes a runaway on the road, the home team’s crowd will go wild as their stars go into “showtime” mode or the second unit has a chance to come out and make big plays. In the meantime, the Kings can work on developing players.

Handling the development in that manner might not thrill the television and radio people, but it would be considerably easier on the fans.

Big key for the Kings versus the Wizards – Start Fast!

wizards logo

The Kings cannot afford to let Washington go on an opening run like they did in Sacramento. The Wizards simply shoot to well in the paint, from mid-range and beyond the arc to let them grab a quick lead.

It is going to be an uphill battle for the Kings. FiveThirtyEight.com gives Sacramento only a 15-percent chance of beating the Wizards and makes them a 10.5-point underdog for the game. That is not good news for a team that is 1-6 on the road.

This will be the final time the Kings will see the the Wizards this season.

Carmelo who? Prozingis leads NYK past the Kings 118-91 Saturday night in NYC

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by Charlie O. Mallonee

NYK Skal
Labissiere Kings leading scorer

The Sacramento Kings two game winning streak came to a sudden end on Saturday night at Madison Square Garden in New York City when the Knicks – led by power forward Kristaps Porzingis – blew by the men in purple and white 118-91.

Early on, it looked like the Kings might make it a competitive game. By halftime, the Knicks (7-5) held a 64-49 lead. New York put together two big runs in the first half to establish the 15-point halftime lead.

The Knicks did not back off in the third quarter as they held the Kings under 20-points and extended their lead. In fact, NYK became so comfortable about their lead they sat Prozingis down in the third quarter and he never reentered the contest.

The Kings (3-9) and Knicks second units made the fourth quarter interesting but Sacramento was unable to cut into the big New York lead. When the final buzzer sounded, the Knicks continued to impress the professional basketball world by playing so well without Carmelo Anthony on the team.

Prozingis continues to be “the man”

NYK Prozingis
Prozingis drives on Cauley-Stein Photo: Newsday

Second-year player – Kristaps Prozingis scored 34 points in just 26:37 minutes of playing time. He went 11-for-21 from the floor while hitting 4-of-6 from behind the 3-point line. Prozingis converted 8-of-9 opportunities from the free throw line. While accomplishing all of that, he committed zero turnovers.

11 Knicks players contributed to the win over the Kings

Sacramento Kings v New York Knicks
Kanter posts a double-double 17 points 13 rebounds

Courtney Lee put up 20 points hitting 5-of-6 from 3-point land. He also added three assists and two rebounds.

Enes Kanter posted a double-double with 17 points and 13 boards. He shot 8-for-13 from the floor.

Damyean Dotson scored 14 points and Michael Beasley added 10 points.

Highly touted rookie point guard Frank Ntilkina scored just two points while posting five assists.

Sacramento had just two player score in double figures

nyk Prozingis again
Sacramento vs. NYK

Skal Labissiere became a force on offense again for the Kings as he recorded 19-points to lead his team in scoring for the game. The Kentucky product shot 5-for-10 from the field while going just 1-for-9 from behind the 3-point arc. Labissiere converted 9-of-10 free throw opportunities. He also grabbed six rebounds.

Buddy Hield came off the bench to score 17-points in 27-minutes of playing time. He went 6-for-13 shooting overall while hitting 4-of-5 from 3-point land. Hield also hauled in seven rebounds and dished out four assists.

No Sacaramento starter scored in double-figures.

Up next

$Wiz Dark

The Kings will play the second game of their three-game road trip on Monday night in Washington, D.C. The Wizards destroyed the Kings 110-83 in Sacramento on October 29th.

The Knicks will also return to actions on Monday when they will welcome LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers to Madison Square Garden. That game will have Eastern Conference Playoff implications.