Category: NBA

The Boston Celtics win the 4th quarter, send the Dubs down to defeat 99-86

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Golden State Warriors’ Stephen Curry (right) thinks through the struggle with Draymond Green (left) the team’s NBA basketball game against the Boston Celtics on Wednesday, March 8, 2017, in Oakland, Calif. Boston won 99-86. (delawareonline.com photo)

by Jerry Feitelberg

Oakland- The Golden State Warriors and the Boston Celtics played a very hotly contested game for three periods of play Wednesday night at the Oracle Arena. It was a seesaw game, and neither team could pull away. Both teams were excellent on defense but the Celtics were better in the fourth quarter as they stopped the Dubs cold. The Warriors went 3 minutes and 19 seconds without a point to start the final stanza. The Celtics were all over the Warriors and did not commit very many fouls in the game. They outscored the Warriors 27-12 to win the game and snap the Dubs 10-game winning streak at Oracle.

Steph Curry and Klay Thompson led the Warrior attack but it wasn’t enough. The Celtics were led by Isiah Thomas’ 25 points and Kelly Olynyk, off the bench, killed the Dubs with 17 points, 5 assists, and 5 rebounds. The Celtic bench outscored the Warrior Bench 35-17.

The Warriors led 15-7 early in the first quarter. The Celtics regrouped but still trailed by three at the end of the period 28-25.  There were 4 ties in the period. The Celtics led 45-44 when the Dubs went on a 10-1 run at the end of the first half to take a 50-46 advantage. The third quarter was more of the same. The lead went back and forth once more. The Dubs led 69-63 but Boston came back and regained the lead 72-71. Steph Curry hit a three as the buzzer sounded to propel Golden State into a 74-72 lead at the end of three periods of action.In the 4th

In the 4th quarter, Boston dominated on both ends of the court. The Celtics, who had lost their last 2 games on the road, were determined to put away a very tired Warrior team. They held the Dubs to zero points for over the first 3 minutes of the period.  They increased their lead 83-79 with 6:08 left. The Warriors could not buy a bucket at this point. Boston kept the pressure on and went on to win 99-86.

Game Notes and stats- The Warriors drop to 52-12 and are just one game ahead of the San Antonio Spurs for the best record and home-court advantage in the Western Conference. The Celtics improve to 41-24 and they own the second-best record in the Eastern conference.

Draymond Green was the only other Warrior to score double figures. Draymond scored 13 to go along with 2 assists, 8 rebounds, and 3 blocked shots. The Celtics were led by Isiah Thomas, Kelly Olynyk, Al Horford, Avery Bradley, and Jae Crowder.  Both teams shot 44% from the floor but the Dubs made just six 3-point shots in 30 tries. The Celts were 10-fo-29 in that department. Both teams played well on defense. The Dubs had 8 steals and 12 blocks while Boston’s defense made 12 steals but only 1 blocked shot. The Warriors turned the ball over 17 times. Boston committed just 12 turnovers.

The Warriors are back on the road again. They meet the Minnesota Timberwolves Friday night and then finish the road trip in San Antonio on Saturday night against the Spurs. The Dubs have not played the Spurs since Opening Night and the Spurs beat them decisively.

Kings blow 28-point lead in road loss to Spurs 114-104 Sac drops their sixth straight loss

Published on by Eric HeLeave a comment

Sacramento Kings center Kosta Koufos (41) tries to strip the ball from San Antonio Spurs guard Manu Ginobili (20) during the second half of an NBA basketball game, Wednesday, March 8, 2017, in San Antonio. The Spurs won 114-104. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)

By: Eric He

The Kings were rolling, up 38-15 after one quarter, jumping out to a 28-point lead over a Spurs team that didn’t have Kawhi Leonard.

But the Spurs roared back, with Manu Ginobli’s 19 points leading the way. David Lee added 18 points and Patty Mills had 17, with the Spurs’ usual depth pitching in for an incredible win. The Spurs won 114-104 on Wednesday night.

San Antonio crept within 15 points at halftime and single digits late in the third. The Spurs trailed 86-82 heading into the fourth quarter and tied the game at 88-88 on a David Lee layup with 9:36 to play in the fourth. They took the lead and didn’t look back in a quarter in which they outscored the Kings 32-18.

“They just picked up their physicality,” Darren Collison told reporters. “They got us off our spots. It was hard for us to have the same continuity we had in the first half. You’ve got to give them credit, that’s what they’re known for.”

Tyreke Evans led the Kings with 26 points. Skal Labissiere added 15 points and Kosta Koufus had 12.

 

The Kings have now lost six straight games. They begin a three-game homestand on Friday against the Wizards.

Golden State Warriors Podcast with David Zizmor: W’s looking for a regulation time victory over Celts on Wed night

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Boston Celtics, from left, Jae Crowder, Jaylen Brown, Isaiah Thomas, Terry Rozier and Marcus Smart walk out to the court after a timeout during the second half of an NBA basketball game against the Los Angeles Clippers, Monday, March 6, 2017, in Los Angeles. The Clippers won 115-102. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

The Boston Celtics are coming to Oracle Arena and the Celts are a team that has given the Golden State Warriors fits like in last season’s game. The Celts have aggressive defense and Brad Stevens is really good coach. He’s done a good job as any trying to find ways to stymie the Warriors on offense

You might remember the Warriors had that great offense to start the season and Boston was the last streak in that game and it was barely a win they had to go to double overtime at the Garden to pull that one out. The Warriors were so exhausted and the next night they had to play Milwaukee and they lost that one.

David Zizmor does the Warriors podcasts each week at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

 

 

Sacramento Kings podcast with Charlie O: Affalo helping out where Cousins left off

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Sacramento Kings center Willie Cauley-Stein (00) in the second half of an NBA basketball game Monday, March 6, 2017, in Denver. The Nuggets won 108-96. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

The Sacramento Kings are in the middle of a five game losing streak if you had to evaluate some of the good things that are happening and what they would hope would happen personnel wise for the Kings. One of the things they were looking for who was going to become the team leader once DeMarcus Cousins left the team. Cousins was the team leader just because he was the big bad guy.

He was the star when he was in Sacramento and the universe circled around him. He was the player that was going to pick up the mantle and be the leader. Forward Aaron Affalo has really stepped up and become that leader. Especially since Rudy Gay would have picked up a lot of plays but Rudy right now isn’t there. Gay is rehabbing he’s not traveling with the team. Affalo who is a very sharp guy, kind of a mild mannered in his style not only on the court but off the court too.

Charlie O podcasts Kings basketball each week at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

 

NBA Report: Former Warrior Bogut fractures left tibia playing with Cavaliers Monday night

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Cleveland Cavaliers’ Andrew Bogut (6) grimaces after getting hurt in the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Miami Heat, Monday, March 6, 2017, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/Tony Dejak)

by Jerry Feitelberg and Charlie O

It was supposed to be an eventful start a new beginning for former Golden State Warriors star Andrew Bogut who was dealt at the NBA wavier wire deadline this week. The injury prone Bogut who starred for Golden State had arrived previously at the Warriors with an ankle injury before the Warriors first Finals appearance in 2015. He was plagued by injuries when playing with the Warriors who won a championship in the 2014-15 season and lost to the Cleveland Cavaliers in the NBA Finals during the 2015-16 season.

Bogut was part of those two Warriors finals teams only to be dealt to Dallas after the post season last season. When Bogut didn’t quite pan out for Mark Cuban and the Mavericks he was then dealt to the world champion Cleveland Cavaliers with the hopes of providing the Cavs some rim protection. So one minute into his Cleveland career Bogut entered the ball game and 0:37 in Bogut on defense tried to defend against the Miami Heat’s Okaro White at 11:36 in the second quarter Bogut managed to injure his left leg and went down.

Bogut had to be helped off the floor by the Cav’s training staff and the expression on Bogut’s face reflected shock saying “what just happened here” The Cavaliers spokesman Joe Gabriele released a statement from the club regarding Bogut’s condition,  “Cavaliers Center Andrew Bogut experienced a left leg injury during the second quarter of Monday’s game in Cleveland vs. the Miami Heat. Initial x-rays and evaluation at The Q revealed a fractured left tibia. Bogut was taken to the Cleveland Clinic for further imaging and evaluation and additional updates will be made as they become available.”

This comes as somewhat of a shock to those who covered Bogut at Golden State and then not so much a shock. The shock value was Bogut only got to play less than a minute for the Cavaliers. A team he hoped to help in the post season and possibly face his former teammates at Golden State and show his former team that he could be an asset for the Cavs and show the Warriors some payback for dealing him away at the beginning of the season.

It was not to be as the Warriors knew all full well having had Bogut on the team who had suffered a number of lower body injuries and particularly to his ankle. He first came to Golden State with an ankle injury but was able to flourish and help Golden State become that contender you see now. He lost some of his luster and he was dealt to Cleveland from Dallas. The Cavs liked his potential because of his physical strength below the rim to stop the offense’s inside game. But after Monday night’s injury the Cleveland Cavaliers will never know what could have been for Andrew Bogut in the 2017 post season with a fibia injury the recovery might take him past the NBA Finals in June.

Jerry Fietelberg covers Golden State Warriors basketball and Charlie O covers Sacramento Kings basketball for http://www.sportsradioservice.com

 

 

Categories NBA

Kings drop fifth straight with road loss to Nuggets 108-96

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Denver forward Wilson Chandler, back, brings the ball up the court as Kings center Willie Cauley-Stein drops back to defend in the first half on Monday, March 6, 2017, in Denver. David Zalubowski The Associated Press

By: Eric He

As the Sacramento Kings adjust to life without DeMarcus Cousins, they’re finding quickly that it includes more losses. Sacramento suffered its fifth straight defeat on Monday in a 108-96 loss to the Denver Nuggets. The Nuggets with the win now move into a four game lead over the Kings for the last and final spot for the playoffs in the Western Conference, “At this point, everybody’s on the same page,” center Willie Cauley-Stein told the Sacramento Bee on Monday night. “We’re trying to win. We’re trying to get to the eighth spot just for the story. It’s going to help guys’ whole outcome of their game if we can continue to make strides and win.”

Wilson Chandler scored a career-high 36 points to pace the Nuggets, shooting 13-of-23 from the field and grabbing 12 rebounds as well. Chandler got off to a hot start with a 16-point first quarter to help Denver end its five-game losing skid. “It’s the toughest thing in the world,” Kings guard Ty Lawson said. “To come here on a back-to-back, especially. Mile high, your legs are heavy. My legs were heavy before the game, so it’s tough. We’ve just got to keep working.”

The Nuggets pulled away in the third quarter when they outscored the Kings 33-23. Denver led 90-73 after three, and was up by as many as 21 points early in the fourth. The Kings were able to cut into the lead as Denver struggled shooting the ball, pulling with nine points late in the game.

Still, Denver, fighting for a playoff spot, pulled off the win.

The Kings had seven players finish in double figures, with Darren Collison’s 17 points leading the way. Kosta Koufus added 14 points and Buddy Hield had 14 off the bench.

Sacramento’s quest to end its losing streak won’t come easy; the Kings play the Spurs on the road on Wednesday.

The Warriors’ bench shines as they propel the Dubs to a win over the Atlanta Hawks 119-108

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by Jerry Feitelberg

Atlanta- The Golden State Warriors were blitzed by the Atlanta Hawks in the first quarter of the game in Atlanta. The Hawks, coached by Mike Budenholzer, had lost two games in a row at home and wanted to get untracked against the Dubs. The game started well for Atlanta but they were not happy at the end. The Hawks outscored the Dubs 42-35 as Dennis Schroder was on fire. He made five 3-point shots in just 12 minutes of action. Steph Curry and Klay Thompson were ice cold. However, the bench, sort of maligned this year as they did not perform as well as they did last year, came to life in the second quarter. They were led by the veteran Andre Iguodala who turned up his game several notches Monday night. Ian Clark also made his presence felt as he tallied 10 points. Klay Thompson, who was saddled with three fouls, sat out most of the quarter and did not score a point in the half. Steph Curry could not hit a three and he scored just 7. The Hawks led 53-37 but the bench including newcomer Matt Barnes and veteran Shaun Livingston as well as Iguodala, Clark, David West, JaVale McGee was able to close the deficit to just 4 points trailing 55-51. The Hawks increased the lead to six 62-56 but the Dubs held tight and ended the first half by 5 66-61. Iguodala tallied 14 to lead the Dubs in scoring. In fact, the Warrior bench scored 41 of the team’s 61 points. The starters contributed just 20.

The Warriors, who have dominated third quarters all season, took it to Atlanta. Klay Thompson made some baskets, Steph was able to make threes and the Warriors defense was superb. They took the lead for good when Steph hit a three to give them the advantage 72-20. They never trailed again in the game. Patrick McCaw hit 2 3-pointers. Klay, Steph, and Andre put the Dubs up by 4 at the end of three periods of play 94-90.

The Hawks started the 4th quarter with a three to trail by one. David West made two buckets and Klay made a trey. Steph and Andre each made two more three-pointers as the Dubs led by nine 111-102 with 3:36 left to play. The Warriors defense held and they won 119-108.

Game Notes and Stats. The starters picked up the pace in the second half. Steph ended the night with 24 points, nine assists, and 4 rebounds. Draymond Green was also outstanding both on offense and defense. The numbers show 12 points, 6 assists, and 8 rebounds. Pachulia had 8, McCaw 9 points and 7 rebound, and Klay finished with 13, all in the second half. Andre Iguodala looked like the Andre of old. The veteran scored 24 points to go along with 4 assists and 5 boards. Ian Clark finished with 10. David West knocked down 10 and Matt Barnes, in his 3rd game as a Warrior, had 5 points, 3 assists, and 7 rebounds. The Warriors made 41 field goals and shot 47.1% from the floor. They made 20 3s in 44 attempts good for a percentage 45.5%. They also had 33 assists which indicated they had good ball movement and finding a man open. On defense, they had 10 steals and 4 blocked shots. Dennis Schroder scored 23 for Atlanta. Paul Milsap had 20, former Dub, Kent Bazemore added 18, and Tim Hardaway, Jr pitched in with 19.

The Warriors improve to 52-11 while Atlanta drops to 34-29. The Warriors return home to face the Boston Celtics and Isiah Thomas Wednesday night at Oracle Arena. Game time will be at 7:30 pm.

Kings – Jazz Postgame Notes & Quotes

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by Charlie O. Mallonee

utah afflalo
Arron Afflalo puts the ball up for the Kings Photo NBAE

If you are Dave Joerger this morning, you are probably having an agony and ecstasy moment over your coffee. The ecstasy is your team played a great game on Sunday versus a very talented playoff bound Utah Jazz squad. The agony is your team let a 16 point lead slip away and you lost in overtime on a tip-in with 1-tenth of a second left on the clock.

Joerger really had a good attitude after the game on Sunday. “It was good. Arron Afflalo, like I said pregame, has really stepped up into the leadership position. I thought he really set the tone for us. I think he made four of his first five, five of his first six. He was aggressive. He did a great job at (defending) Gordon Hayward.

Afflalo scored 17 points shooting 6-for-12 from the field and 4-for-4 from the free throw line. He had four rebounds and three assists. Afflalo was one of seven Kings to score in double figures.

“It was good,” said Afflalo after the game. “I was extremely proud of my teammates. Everybody was engaged on both ends of the court. We played with a purpose to win tonight. It’s going to be a true test of our will to take a tough loss like this and play the team (Denver) tomorrow (Monday) that we’re trying to catch for the eighth spot.”

Garrett Temple returned to the court

utah temple 2
Garrett Temple returned after missing 11 games Photo NBAE

Garrett Temple returned to action for the Kings on Sunday night after missing 11 games with a partially torn left ham string. Temple scored 11 points on 4-of-9 shooting including two 3-point baskets to go with four assists and three steals.

“Well certainly he has a positive impact,”, said Dave Joerger. “We were better defensively whether he was in there or not. He is certainly a positive defender and a solid positive contributor for sure.”

Willie Cauley-Stein played with intensity

utah wcs 2
Cauley-Stein dunks it over Gobert Photo NBAE

“That was a playoff game for us,” opined Joerger. “We played with playoff intensity. If a guy plays 12 minutes of that, that’s better than four (quarters) in summer leagues where he plays 38 minutes. Summer league, you just get minutes, they keep score and that’s great. This is where you find out where you are as a player and what you need to work on. The intensity of competition is a fantastic experience.

Cauley-Stein put up 15 points while shooting 6-for-12 and grabbing 9 rebounds. “WCS” also had Three assists, two steals and one blocked shot.

The Kings have now lost four in a row

The Kings have now lost four consecutive games and their record has fallen to 25-37 for the season. Sacramento has fallen to 11th place in the Western Conference three games behind Denver in the eighth and final playoff spot. They are tied with the Timberwolves while Portland and Dallas stand in between them and the Nuggets.

Kings (25-37) must face the Nuggets (28-34) Monday night in Denver

DNuggets_Global

The Kings have the tough task of playing the Nuggets in the second game of a back-to-back set on the road at high altitude in Denver. The Nuggets are coming off a loss to the Hornets and are anxious to take advantage of the fact that 8 of their next 11 games at home.

FiveThirtEight.com projects that the Kings have just a 17-percent chance of winning the game in Denver (ouch!). The second game of a back-to-back on the road coupled with the high altitude seems to the influencing factors. This lopsided prediction is out there despite the fact the Kings are 2-0 versus the Nuggets this season. The second Kings win came after the DeMarcus Cousins trade to New Orleans but that win came in Sacramento.

The Jazz were thrilled to escape Sacramento with the overtime win

“It’s a big lift,” said Jazz head coach Quin Snyder.”I think particularly, Sacramento played well. We made some plays to win the game, but they did a heck of a job and probably deserved to win. I like to think our guys did some good things and we were able to steal one. It gives you a lift. There’s no question about it. With plenty more to go right now, you can’t rest on that any more than you can with getting beat.”

The Jazz also have a back-to-back

The Jazz flew home to Utah where they will host the New Orleans Pelicans in the second game of a back-to-back set. Both teams are coming off wins on Sunday. The Pels picked up their first win with DeMarcus Cousins on the roster by beating the Lakers in Los Angeles.

Utah will be looking to increase their 1.5-game lead over the fifth-place Clippers. The Pelicans are in 13th-place in the Western Conference 3.5-games out of playoff contention.

Kings lose to Jazz 110-109 in OT: watch the 2:20 game wrap

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by Charlie O. Mallonee

The Kings lost to the Utah Jazz on Sunday night 110-109 in OT with literally 1-tenth of a second left on the clock. It took a replay decision in New Jersey to decide the final outcome of the game. It was exciting, frustrating and exhausting all at the same time.

You can watch the final 1.6-seconds of the overtime period in these highlight clips from the Utah Jazz of Rudy Gobert (sorry you will have endure a 15-commercial) by just clicking on the link. Gobert – who has been a Kings killer – posted a double-double recording 16 points and 24 rebounds (6 OR) in addition to scoring the game winning bucket.

Gobert on the final game-winning basket

“I was rolling because I thought he was going to pull up into the shot and I didn’t know if I had time to get the rebound or not. When I saw the ball of on the side, I just tipped it in.”

Kings head coach Dave Joerger’s analysis

“This was a playoff game for us. We played with playoff intensity.”

Kings have no time to rest

The Kings headed to the airport after the game and flew to Denver where they will play the Nuggets on Monday night. Sacramento is three games behind Denver who is in the eighth and final playoff slot in the Western Conference.

The game tips off at 6 p.m. West Coast time.

The Warriors get back on the winning track, defeat the New York Knicks 112-105

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by Jerry Feitelberg

New York City- The Golden State Warriors ended a 2-game losing streak as the Splash Brothers regained their shooting touch and sent the Knicks down to defeat 112-105 Sunday afternoon at Madison Square Garden.

The Dubs played well in the first quarter as they led the Knicks 29-18. However, they went cold in the second quarter. Steph Curry was, as usual, on the bench for the first six minutes of play. The Dubs scored just 2 points in the first 5 and 1/2 minutes of action. Thy trailed the Knicks 50-49 at the end of the half.

Curry and Klay Thompson led the Warriors to an 8-point lead after three. The Dubs led the Knicks by 2 with 90 seconds left. Steph made a layup and a three-pointer with just 5.6 seconds to give them an  84-76 advantage. The Knicks closed the gap to one 97-96 but Steph found Klay, and he drained a three to put the Warriors in the driver’s seat. The Dubs held on to win 112-105.

Game Notes and Stats. Steph Curry made five three-point shots and passed Chauncey Billups for 10th place in three-point shots made.  Steph scored 31 and had 6 assists and 8 rebounds. Klay Thompson knocked down 29. Matt Barnes made his first start as a Warrior filling in for Kevin Durant. Barnes had 3 points, 2 assists, 3 boards and 1 blocked shot. Draymond Green’s stats were 13 points, 4 assists, and 7 rebounds. Zaza Pachulia pitched in with 10 points. David West scored 7, JaVale McGee had 5 points and 4 rebounds. Andre Iguodala helped out with 6 points, 4 assists and 3 rebounds Patrick McCaw and Ian Clark each had 4 off the bench. The Knicks’ Derrick Rose led them with 28. Big Kristaps Porzingas had a big night with 24 points and 15 boards. Carmelo Anthony was held to just 15. Bench players Justin Holiday had 10, and Ron Baker scored 9 for New York.

The Dubs shot 45.5% from the floor and 37/1% from beyond the 3-point arc. Steph, in his last 3 games before Sunday’s contest with the Knicks, was just 4 for 31. The Knicks outrebounded the Warriors 47-35, but the Warriors were still excelled on defense as they had 11 steals and 3 blocks. The Warriors improve to 51-11 while the Knicks fall to 25-38.

The Warriors face the Atlanta Hawks Monday night in Atlanta. Game time is at 4:30 pm. They return home to face the Boston Celtics at Oracle Arena on Wednesday, then hit the road again as they fly to Minneapolis to face the Timberwolves on Friday night and play the San Antonio Spurs Saturday night in San Antonio. The schedule makers did not make it easy for the Warriors.