Category: NBA

The Dubs woes continue, Lose to the Bulls in Chicago 94-87

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by Jerry Feitelberg

The Golden State Warriors, playing their first game since Kevin Durant was injured Tuesday night, lost to the Chicago Bulls 94-87. The Dubs NBA record of 146 consecutive wins with back-to-back losses ended. It was the first time since April 5th and April 7th, 2015 that the Warriors have recorded two losses in a row. Both of those losses came on the road in San Antonio and in New Orleans.

The Warriors finished the first half with a four-point lead 51-47. The Warriors usually play well in the second half, but that did not happen Thursday night. The Bulls behind Jimmy Butler and Bobby Portis held the Dubs to just 37 points. The Bulls outscored the Warriors 10-2 in the final 3 minutes of the game to ice the win. Steph Curry and Klay Thompson had a tough night from 3-point range. They attempted 22 but made just 3. They shot just 36.8% from the floor, and that will not get anyone a victory in the NBA.

Game Notes and Stats. The Dubs drop to 50-11. Kevin Durant will be reexamined in 4 weeks to determine if he can resume play. He suffered a Grade 2 strain of hid MCL(medial collateral ligament) and will not require surgery. He will, however, wear a knee brace night. Hopefully, the ligament will heal in 2 to 4 weeks. He also suffered a bone bruise to the top of the tibia. The bone injury could take longer to get better.. If all goes well, he could return to action the early part of April and be ready for the playoffs. The Dubs signed Matt Barnes to the vacancy on the roster. Barnes played 11 minutes and scored just 2 points and had no assists or rebounds.

Steph Led the team with 23. Klay had 13. Draymond Green, Patrick McCaw, and Andre Iguodala all were in double figures. The Bulls were led by Butler and Portis. The Warriors have to figure out a way to get back on track. They still have the best record in the NBA but are now in jeopardy of falling into the second seed which means that they will not haven home-court advantage throughout the playoffs. They are a good team. They know how to win, but they need everyone to step up to make up for the loss of their superstar, Kevin Durant.

The Warriors face the New York Knicks Sunday in the Big Apple. Game time is at 12:30 pm.

Kings porous defensively, disjointed offensively in glaring loss to the woeful Nets 109-100

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Sacramento Kings Brooklyn Nets during the second half of an NBA basketball game in Sacramento, Calif., Wednesday, March 1, 2017. The Nets won 109-100. (AP Photo/Steve Yeater)

By Morris Phillips

SACRAMENTO–Not enough defense early, and far too little offense late would be a fair label for the reconfigured Sacramento Kings on Wednesday.  But a more bottom line analysis had its roots elsewhere on a night in which the NBA’s worst team snapped a 16-game losing streak, leading start to finish in a 109-100 victory at the Golden 1 Center.

Both the Kings and Nets should have been equally energized with their prospects for a rare victory enhanced by facing each other.  But the Nets alone seized that storyline from the game’s opening tip.  Consequently, King’s coach Dave Joerger could decipher his team’s malaise, but not prevent it.

“We didn’t come out with enough force to start the game and they physically manhandled us around the perimeter of the floor,” Joerger explained.

While the Nets made nine of their first 11 shot attempts and led 21-6 at one point, the Kings struggled to run their offense, and get out of each other’s way.   The Nets surprised with accurate three-point shooting–they made six from distance in a 35-point first quarter.  The Kings started slow personified by a pair of turnovers by surprise starter Skal Labissiere.

The Kings’ responded initially with offense; Aaron Afflalo contributed 10 points in the first quarter as the Kings sliced the Nets’ lead to four, 35-31, after one.  But the Kings would score just 69 points over a final three quarters littered with tentative play, over dribbling and stilted ball movement.  Sacramento finished with just 12 assists on 35 made baskets, and seven of the Kings that saw action failed to record a single assist.

“I don’t think we’re necessarily focusing on playing the right way,” said Darren Collison, who had the only two assists credited to the team’s five starters.  “I know we have a lot of guys who are unselfish but when you see a guy like DeMarcus Cousins, your best player out, a lot of guys try to take it upon themselves to score, to make a play, instead of just letting the game come to them.”

Defensively, the inbalance in the Kings’post-trade roster is glaring, with guard Ben McLemore routinely matched with bigger forwards in the Kings’ three-guard starting lineup.  With not enough bodies in the frontcourt, and Brooklyn’s Robin Lopez bullying his way to the hoop, the Kings suffered a huge disparity in points in the paint on Wednesday.   But the interior defense was just a part of it; the hot-shooting Nets finished with 11 made threes, at least one from eight different players.

Brooklyn had dropped 27 of 28 overall since winning at home the day after Christmas, and Wednesday marked only their third win this season on the road.  The Kings have dropped three straight since beating Denver in their impressive debut following the Cousins trade.

And whatever designs the Kings maintain on making the playoffs in Cousins’ absence took another blow.  With the loss, and the Timberwolves’ surprising, 27-point road win at Utah, the two teams are now tied for ninth, with three other teams just a game back.  Of the five teams looking to unseat the Nuggets for the final postseason spot in the West, the Trailblazers have the fewest road games (9) and the most recent–last season–playoff experience.

At least, the Kings do have a leg up in the “moronic” trade competition. The Pelicans registered their first win since trading for Cousins, but ironically did so without the former King, who was suspended for last night’s game against the Pistons for his ongoing accumulation of technical fouls.  So the standings are: Kings, Pelicans 1-3; Cousins 0-3 and still looking for his first victory in the Big Easy.

Golden State Warriors podcast with David Zizmor: With Durant out for a month W’s will have to depend on Barnes and back ups for help

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sunny95.com file photo: Golden State Warriors Kevin Durant in file photo with head phones is expected to miss at least one month of action according to doctors who worked on his sprained MCL and a bone bruise on his left leg an injury he received in Washington against the Wizards on Tuesday night

You might remember last post season in Portland the Golden State Warriors Stephen Curry injured his ankle in the playoffs and when he returned from his injury he didn’t have the same burst and he didn’t have the ability like before to shake off the dribble. Curry had his moments in an overtime victory where he scored 17 points against Portland. Through the playoffs for Curry against Portland, Oklahoma City, and Cleveland he was not MVP Curry during that run. There were certain things missing from his game.

You always get concerned over anybody getting any kind of injury this time of year that said the injury could have been so much worse for Kevin Durant who suffered a sprained MCL and a bone bruise on his left leg against the Washington Wizards on Tuesday night the Warriors Zaza Pachulia was pushed by the Wizards Marcin Gortat and Pachulia went into the back of Durant’s knee hyperextending it.

There’s much more on the Warriors podcast click on below with Dave for more information and each week at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

 

It’s Just My Opinion: KD’s absence puts speed bump on Warriors’ season

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AP photo file: Former Sacramento Kings forward Matt Barnes, right, goes to the basket over Chicago Bulls center Robin Lopez during the first half of an NBA basketball game Monday, Feb. 6, 2017, in Sacramento, Calif. Barnes returns to Golden State in light of the Kevin Durant injury on Tuesday night (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli)

By Joe Hawkes-Beamon
Sports Radio Service Writer

OAKLAND, Calif — OK  Warriors fans you can breathe a bit easier this morning after hearing that forward Kevin Durant’s knee injury isn’t season-ending.

Durant injured his left knee in the first minute of Golden State’s 112-108 loss to the Wizards in Washington Tuesday night. The injury occurred on a loose-ball situation after Wizards center Marcin Gortat fouled Warriors center Zsa Zsa Pachulia, who then fell back on Durant’s left leg. Durant jumped back and tried to run off the injury, but was in obvious pain before walking off the court on his own power and into the locker room.

Durant will miss at least four weeks with a sprained MCL and bruised tibial bone in his left leg, the team announced Wednesday. The small forward will be out indefinitely, but will be re-evaluated.

Durant leads the team in scoring (25.3 points per game), free throw makes (5.5) and attempts (6.3) per game, rebounding (8.2 rpg) and blocks (1.6 bpg).

The Undefeated’s Marc J. Spears received a text message from Warriors forward Draymond Green said that he is “relieved” by the diagnosis.

“I’m definitely relieved. I thought it would be way worse,” Green wrote. “Being away weeks sucks, but we will take that over what was initially thought.”

The Warriors (50-10) have the best record in the league and now with Durant’s injury, their perch atop the Western Conference could be in jeopardy with second-place San Antonio (45-13) hot on Golden State’s heels at just four games back.

San Antonio rocked Golden State 129-100 in Durant’s first game with Golden State at Oracle Arena after nine season with the Seattle Supersonics/Oklahoma City Thunder organization.

The Spurs and Warriors meet up twice this month, both in San Antonio.

For Golden State, it will be second game of a back-to-back after playing in Minneapolis and Houston respectively the previous night.

The play of Green, and guards Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson will need to step up their individual games even more. Durant’s absence will be felt, but it will be up to the Warriors other three All-Stars to lead Golden State down the stretch heading into the playoffs.

Curry and Thompson both have struggled to shoot the three-ball post the All-Star break.

Curry is really in a shooting slump, connecting on just 2-of-20 of his 3s in his last two games. The two-time league MVP was converted 41 percent of his 3s before the break, but is just shooting 32 percent from beyond the arc post break.

Thompson is shooting just 31 percent from 3 post break after shooting 42 percent before the break.

Before racking up 24 points, 25 assists, and 14 rebounds while shooting 11-for-21 from the field in his last two games, Green struggled in the two games prior, totaling 12 points, six assists, and 14 rebounds.

Golden State is expected to sign free agent forward Matt Barnes for the remainder of the season in the wake of Durant’s injury, per Chris Haynes and Marc Stein of ESPN.

The Warriors will reportedly first sign free agent Jose Calderon, fulfilling their pledge to the 12-year veteran, before adding Barnes to fill void vacated by Durant.

Barnes was averaging 7.6 points and 5.5 rebounds per game with the Kings before being waived shortly before Thursday’s trade deadline last week.

This will be Barnes’ second go-around with Golden State.

Barnes played with Golden State from 2006-08 and was part of the “We Believe” Warriors team led by Baron Davis, Stephen Jackson, and Jason Richardson that squeaked in the playoffs as an eight seed and knocked off the top-seeded Dallas Mavericks in the first round of the Western Conference playoffs in 2007.

Barnes told Spears of The Undefeated that his return to Golden State is “a dream come true.”

The versatile Barnes, who turns 37 on Mar. 9, brings another solid defender with toughness on the wing to go along with Green and swingman Andre Iguodala for Golden State.

The addition of Barnes isn’t a earth-shattering move by Golden State, but it does give the Warriors some flexibility to sustain Durant’s absence for the foreseeable future.

 

The Warriors not only lose game to the Washington Wizards, they lose Kevin Durant to an injury

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Golden State Warriors forward Kevin Durant (35) walks to the bench during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Washington Wizards, Tuesday, Feb. 28, 2017, in Washington. Durant hyperextended his left knee and exited the Golden State Warriors’ game at the Washington Wizards for good after all of 93 seconds Tuesday night. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)

by Jerry Feitelberg

The Washington Wizards sent the Golden State Warriors down to their tenth loss of the season by a score of 112-108. The Warriors’ All-Star forward, Kevin Durant, had to leave the game just 93 seconds after the start of play in the first quarter. Durant, who was standing to the left of Zaza Pachulia was hurt when Pachulia crashed into his left knee having been thrown down by the Wizards’ big man Marcin Gortat. Durant winced when Pachulia hit him and a few seconds later hobbled off the court. He was diagnosed with a hyperextended knee, and an MRI was performed. Results of the MRI are not known at this time.

The loss of Durant appeared to affect the play of the Warriors. The Wizards were able to run up and down the court, and the Dubs didn’t seem to be able to stop them on defense. The Wizards’ Bradley Beal scored 16 points in the first quarter leading them to a 40-26 advantage after 12 minutes of action. The Warriors’ head coach, Steve Kerr, kept urging the team to stay calm and focused. They started to play better in the second quarter, but they were only able to cut just 2 points off the lead and trailed 61-49 at the end of the first half. Klay Thompson was the only Warrior in double figures. He tallied 11. Steph had 6, Pachulia 4, David West 6, Shaun Livingston 6.

With the score 63-49, the Dubs went on a 10-0run to trail by just 4 points 63-59. The Wizard regrouped and kept the lead until late in the quarter. The Dubs, for the first time in the game, took the lead 80-79. Washington responded and finished the third quarter with a 3-point lead 85-82. The two teams went at it tooth and nail in the final 12 minutes of play. Neither team could pull away. However, with the score 110-108 in favor of Washington, Steph missed a three-point shot. Washington controlled the ball, and the Dubs committed a foul. The two free throws were made and the Dubs were toast. The Wizards win 112-108.

Game notes and stats- The Wizards, under head coach Scott Brooks, were 18-3 in the last 21 games before the All-Star break. They lost to Philadelphia on the road and to the Utah Jazz at home on Sunday. The Wizards currently reside in first place in the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference and are the third seed if the playoffs were to begin today.  The Warriors are now 50-10. Still, the best record in the NBA, and are the number one seed in the West.

Steph Curry led the Dubs with 25 points, 4 assists, and 7 rebounds. Klay Thompson had 16, Zaza added 12 and Draymond Green was the star of the night for Golden State. Green had another double-double with 14 points and 14 assists. He also pulled down 8 boards and had one blocked shot. Shaun Livingston knocked down 14. He Also blocked two shots. McCaw had 8, David West 7 and Andre Iguodala 4. The Wizards had six players in double figures. Beal 25, Markieff Morris 22, Otto Porter 14, Marcin Gortat 12, Bogan Bogdanovic 16, and John Wall had 12 and a career-high-tying 19 assists.

The Warriors shot 47% from the floor but just 28.6% from behind the arc. The Wizards shot 45.% from the field and 42.9% from 3-point range. The Teams were just about even in assists, steals,blocks, and turnovers. The Dubs face the Bulls in Chicago Thursday evening. Game time will be at 5 pm.

 

 

Sacramento Kings podcast with Charlie O: Kings have now lost two since Cousins departure; Divac will step down if Cousins trade backfires

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Sacramento Kings center Willie Cauley-Stein, right, blocks the shot of Minnesota Timberwolves forward Gorgui Dieng during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Monday, Feb. 27, 2017, in Sacramento, Calif. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli)

The game that everybody well remembers is when the Denver Nuggets came into town and everything came off the hook this was the Kings first game since DeMarcus Cousins was dealt to the New Orleans Pelicans. The Kings won that game but the Kings played way over their heads. Willie Cauley Stein scored 29 points they played together as a team they played up tempo. They really surprised Denver and Michael Malone and they won that game you saw Kings owner Vivek Ranadive high fiving at his seat during that game.

Then on Saturday the Charlotte Hornets came in the Hornets had been on a slide and they came into Golden One having lost five games in a row but they seemed much like the Kings had a shot at post season in a sense because they were still in the hunt for a playoff spot and the Hornets came in and played gritty basketball. The Hornets are a big team and they’re able to push a lot of people around and the Kings were not in that game and lost. The Kings lost their second game since the Cousins trade on Monday night to the Minnesota Timberwolves 102-88.

Charlie O does the Sacramento Kings podcast each week at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

 

 

Steph Curry has an off-night, the Warriors are still able to beat the Philadelphia 76ers 119-108

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by Jerry Feitelberg

The Golden State Warriors started a five-game road trip in Philadelphia by beating the Sixers 119-108. Steph Curry made 11 attempts to make a three-pointer and missed on all 11 shots. He finished the night with 19, but he was totally out of rhythm. The Sixers, coached by Brett Brown, were determined to not let Steph beat them. They defended him very well but Kevin Durant, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green, and Zaza Pachulia picked up the slack, and the Dubs were able to win their 50th game of the season. The Sixers’ Joel Embiid was not available as he was experiencing soreness and swelling in his left knee and is out indefinitely.

The Dubs finished the first quarter leading 32-31. Klay Thompson led the Dubs to a 45-35 lead, but the Sixers went on a 9-0 run to close the gap to just one. Steph made a bucket to put the Warriors up by three. The Sixers came back to tie the game at 54 near the end of the first half. The Warriors finished the quarter with a three-point advantage 59-56. Klay led the Dubs with 15, and Kevin Durant had 12. Curry managed just 9 points.

The Warriors, once again, played well and increased the lead to 71-59. Zaza Pachulia had three key buckets in the quarter. Klay Thompson hit a trey that seemed to ignite the Dubs three-point offense. With 4:55 left, head coach Steve Kerr inserted Ian Clark and James Michael McAdoo into the game. The move paid off as Clark nailed a three and McAdoo made a deuce to increase the lead to twelve once again. The Warriors finished the third quarter leading 93-90. The Warriors, behind the stellar defensive play of Draymond Green and Andre Iguodala, were able to keep the Sixers from closing the gap. The Warriors win 119-108.

Game Notes and Stats- The Warriors improved their record to 50-9. The Warriors have reached the 50-win plateau 8 times in their history, and they have done it the last four years in a row. The Dubs shot 45% from the floor, but they made just 6 3-point shots in 29 attempts. The Sixers committed a lot of fouls and the Dubs recorded thirty-three points from the charity stripe. Golden State had another game with more than 30 assists, and they excelled on defense once again. They had 14 steals and 4 blocked shots. All five Warrior starters were in double figures. Kevin Durant led the way with 27 points, 4 assists, 8 boards and one block. Thompson had 21. Draymond Green was all over the court and was the player of the game. Draymond had another double-double. He had 14 points, 6 assists, 11 rebounds and five steals. Zaza Pachulia pitched in with. Dario Saric led the Sixers with 21. Five other Sixers were in double figures. Gerald Henderson had 16, Robert Covington,15, Richaun Holmes 15, Nic Staukas 10, and Sergio Rodriguez 10.

The Warriors meet the Washington Wizards Tuesday night in Washington. The Wizard reside in first place in the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference. Game time will be at 4:00 pm.

Sacramento Kings Monday game wrap: Kings lose their steam 102-88

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Minnesota Timberwolves forward Andrew Wiggins, left, stuffs as Sacramento Kings guard Ty Lawson looks on during the first half of an NBA basketball game Monday, Feb. 27, 2017, in Sacramento, Calif. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli)

By Jeremy Harness

SACRAMENTO – Late in the third quarter, Tyreke Evans threw a bad pass over teammate Buddy Hield’s head, and then lost focus on the play at half and let Nemanja Bjelica sneak behind him for a layup to add on to an already-commanding lead.

Mental lapses and overall lulls like that have plagued the Kings’ season. The only difference now is that they don’t have an All-Star big man to lean on anymore, to help them stay in the game when they otherwise would have no chance.

With DeMarcus Cousins now in New Orleans, the end result was a 102-88 landslide defeat at the hands of the 23-36 Minnesota Timberwolves at the Golden 1 Center on Monday, a game that was never really close once the first quarter ended.

In the battle of former University of Kentucky teammates, Minnesota center Karl-Anthony Towns clearly got the better of his matchup with Willie Cauley-Stein on Monday. Towns scored a game-high 29 points on 13-of-19 shooting to go along with 17 rebounds and a pair of assists.

Cauley-Stein, for his part, didn’t fare too badly himself with 14 points while making five of his 11 shots from the field while adding six rebounds and five assists. However, it was clear that he was overmatched by a young man who is already considered one of the top big men in the game in only his second year in the NBA.

Meanwhile, Andrew Wiggins, who is also in his second season in the league, was right behind Towns with 27 points on 10-of-22 shooting with four rebounds.

After winning the first game following the All-Star break and the Cousins trade, the Kings have now dropped the previous two contests. Sacramento, however, has still won seven of its last 10 games overall.

In the early going, however, it seemed as if the opposite would occur. The Kings got off to a great start, leading by eight points at one point in the opening quarter. But that opening jolt of momentum would soon come to a crashing halt.

The Kings cooled off considerably and allowed the Timberwolves to inch their way back into the game and eventually take complete control of it. They ended the first quarter with a 25-20 lead, but when Minnesota blitzed the Kings for a 40-point second quarter, Sacramento had no answer and played the rest of the game looking up.

After trailing at the half, 60-44, the Kings momentarily got the compass going in their direction to start the third quarter once they got out in transition, with Ty Lawson and Darren Collison at the controls simultaneously, and cutting the lead to single digits.

However, just like the one in the first quarter, that surge fizzled out, and Minnesota quickly regained control, and the Kings could get no closer.

For the Kings, Kosta Koufos had 14 points in the first half while making all but one of his seven field goals while pulling down six rebounds.

He did not score in the second half, but he did finish the game with 11 rebounds, giving him his second double-double of the season.

The Warriors subdue the Nets, clinch a playoff spot in 112-95 victory

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by Jerry Feitelberg

Oakland- the Golden State Warriors, without the services of Kevin Durant, played a relatively slow and methodical game to beat the Brooklyn Nets 112-95. Durant injured his pinkie finger Thursday night against the LA Clippers. His hand was swollen, and since the Dubs were playing the lowly Nets, head coach Steve Kerr gave Durant the night off.

The Warrior attack was spearheaded by Steph Curry and Klay Thompson. The Dubs led for the entire first quarter but, in the second quarter. The Nets took a one-point lead. The Warriors regrouped and took the lead for good as Steph made a 4-point play at the end of the first half to put the Dubs up 62-51.

The Warriors did not blow the game open in the third quarter. They could not shake the Nets, but they outscored them 29-25 to increase the lead to 15 at the end of three periods. The Dubs went cold to start the fourth quarter. The Dubs defense did not let the Nets crawl back into the game. The Dubs held the Nets to just 19 points, and Steph made a 3-pointer late in the quarter to ice the game.

Game Notes and stats- The Warriors became the first team in the NBA to clinch a playoff berth. They improved to 49-9 while the hapless Nets drop to 9-49. Steph Curry led the Dubs with 27 points, 5 assists, and 5 rebounds.  Steph also made 5 3-point shots. Klay Thompson had 24, Patrick McCaw, filling in for Kevin Durant, added 9. Zaza Pachulia knocked down 8 points to go along with 9 rebounds. Draymond Green scored five, and he recorded 8 boards. The Warriors bench players JaVale McGee, Ian Clark, James Michael McAdoo, Shaun Livingston, and Andre Iguodala all made significant contributions to ensure the Dubs victory.

Rondae Hollis-Jefferson led the Nets with 16. He was the only Nets’ starter in double figures. The Dubs held Brook Lopez to just 9 points, and Lopez spent the night trying to figure out what happened to him. The Nets bench had three players in double figures. Sean Kilpatrick 15, Spencer Dinwiddie 13, and Trevor Booker 12.

The Dubs, who lead the NBA in steals and blocks, had 10 steals and 11 blocks. They also lead the league in games with 30 or more assists, and they had 30 Saturday against the Nets.

After the game, the Warriors released backup guard Briante Weber. Weber played in the game late in the fourth quarter and scored 4 points. He is now a free agent and can sign with any NBA team. The Warriors are rumored to be interested in veteran guard Jose Calderon or former Warrior Matt Barnes.

The Warriors begin a five-game road trip in Philadelphia Monday night. Game time is at 4 pm. They then go to Washington to face the Wizards Tuesday night. The Wizards are in first place in the Southeast Division in the Eastern Conference. Game time will also be at 4 pm.