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The Warriors rally in the fourth quarter to defeat a very determined Charlotte Hornets team

Published on January 25, 2017January 25, 2017 by rxsluggerLeave a comment

by Jerry Feitelberg

The Warriors met the Charlotte Hornets Wednesday night in Charlotte. The game with the Hornets was the last stop on a four-game road trip. The Warriors were looking to rebound after a very tough loss Monday in Miami. In fact, the Warriors had three tough games in a row. They struggled to beat Orlando. They struggled in the loss to Miami, and they struggled until halfway through the fourth quarter. They were down by five at the end of the third period. Every time they tried to close the gap in the fourth quarter, they were rebuffed by the Hornets.About halfway through the period, the Warriors found their game and led by Kevin Durant and Steph Curry, they pulled away to record the win 113-103.

The Hornets, coached by Steve Clifford, do not like to run. They, like the Memphis Grizzlies, utilize a deliberate style of play and use a lot of the clock. They also were dominant on the boards, especially getting offensive rebounds, and kept the Warriors from getting too far ahead. The Warriors got off to a good start. Steph Curry scored thirteen, and Kevin Durant had nine, and they were ahead by six 19-13. Charlotte played strong defense and closed the gap to one 29-28 after 12 minutes of play. In the second quarter, Klay Thompson was the man. The Dubs were getting him the ball, and Klay responded with seven. The Warriors, however, could not get separation from Charlotte and the half ended with Golden State ahead by 6 53-47.

In the third quarter, the Hornets outscored the Warriors 33-22 and led by five after three periods. Charlotte started the quarter on a 19-4 run. The Warriors looked like they were out of sync and didn’t get going until late in the quarter. They closed the gap to just two, but the Hornets’ Kemba Walker was fouled making a 3-point attempt with just 1.5 seconds left. Walker made the freebies, and the Hornets led 80-75 heading into the fourth and final period of play. Klay Thompson made 3 free throws to start the quarter, and the Dubs trailed by one.

The Warriors rallied to tie the score at 85. At this point, the refs called Klay for a foul on a three-point shot by former Warrior, Marco Belinelli. Klay, who never loses his cool on the court, and really was angry that he was called for the foul. The refs hit him with a technical and Belinelli mad all four free throws. The replay showed that Klay never touched Belinelli and it was a bad and costly call.

Belinelli was fouled again making a 3-pointer, and he made all three shots again. The Warriors decided it was time to shut the Hornets down. They went small as they installed Draymond Green at the center position. Kevin Durant came to life and scored 16 points in the fourth quarter. KD drove the lane and was fouled several times. He did not miss a free throw. The Hornets could not defend him.With the score 99-96 in favor of the Dubs, Steph hit a three-pointer to put the Dubs up 102-96. The Warriors defense throttled the Hornets, and they were able to pull away and won the game 113-103. It was a dogfight for all 48 minutes.

Game Notes and Stats. The Warriors are now 39-7 while Charlotte falls to 23-23. Kevin Durant led the Dubs with 33 points, 2 assists, 5 rebounds and 4 blocked shots. Steph’s line was 28 points, 6 assists, 2 boards, and he mad six 3-point shots. Klay scored 19. Draymond pitched in with 13 points, 6 assists, 4 rebounds, and 3 blocked shots. James Michael McAdoo had a nice game coming off the bench as he added 8 points and had 7 rebounds.

Charlottes’ leading scorer was Kemba Walker with 26. Marvin Williams had 14, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist 15, Nicolas Batum 16, Marco Belinelli 14. Spencer Hawes had a double-double with 10 points and 13 rebounds. The Warriors committed 12 turnovers which led to 21 Hornet points. The Dubs scored 28 fast break points, and the Hornets managed to score just 4. Points-in-the-paint went to Charlotte 52-40. The Warriors extended the NBA record to 132 games without 2 losses in a row.

Steph Curry was honored at his high school in Charlotte when they retired Steph’s number. Davidson College also honored Steph by naming “Section 30” at Belk Arena for Steph. The NBA fined Zaza Pachulia $15,000 for hitting a player at the game in Miami Monday night.

The Warriors return home to face the Los Angeles Clipper on Saturday. Game time is at 5:30 pm. The Warriors then play a back-to-back game Sunday in Portland against the Trailblazers. Game time for that contest is at 5 pm.

Sacramento Kings Wednesday game wrap: Kings upset Cavaliers in overtime 116-112

Published on January 25, 2017January 25, 2017 by Eric HeLeave a comment

Sacramento Kings’ Anthony Tolliver (43) and Matt Barnes (22) defend Cleveland Cavaliers’ LeBron James (23) during the second half of an NBA basketball game, Wednesday, Jan. 25, 2017, in Cleveland. The Kings won 116-112. (AP Photo/Tony Dejak)

By: Eric He

After five consecutive losses, the Kings have notched two straight impressive road wins, beating the Cavaliers, 116-112, in overtime on Wednesday after a win over the Pistons on Monday.

Arron Afflalo knocked down the go-ahead jumper with 17 seconds remaining in overtime to put the Kings ahead, and then LeBron James missed a potential game-tying 3-pointer to seal the game for the Kings.

DeMarcus Cousins, who led all scorers with 28 points and 11 rebounds, tied the game at 104-104 with three seconds left in regulation. The Cavaliers led by five in overtime, but the Kings answered back to pull off an improbable upset of the defending champions. The Kings also trailed by 10 in the fourth quarter, rallying late for the win.

Darren Collison added 23 points for the Kings, who are in the midst of an eight-game road trip and looking to right the ship after a string of losses.

Sacramento was also behind by six at halftime.

“This is our first complete full game of the season,” Cousins said. “Anybody who stepped on the floor played some type of part in this win. We battled. We took some hits, but we came back on our own. ”

In a brutal stretch of eight straight away games which has the Kings playing three back-to-backs, Cousins has stepped up with double-doubles in 10 straight games.

The Kings will play the Pacers on Friday to continue their road trip.

Sacramento Kings podcast with Charlie O: Kings on road trip from hell but still are only 1.5 games out from the final playoff spot

Published on January 24, 2017January 24, 2017 by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

Sacramento Kings forward DeMarcus Cousins passes the ball during the second half of an NBA basketball game against the Detroit Pistons, Monday, Jan. 23, 2017, in Auburn Hills, Mich. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)

The Sacramento Kings are 17-27 they won on Monday night so it’s one game in a row and their 2-8 in their last ten games. They are 1-2 on the current eight game road trip. This trip is the longest road trip of the season. The Kings are currently 11th in the Western Conference. They’re in a position where some would say just get ready for next year and chose a good player in the lottery.

When you look at that you would be wrong because even with that record and even being that far behind the conference leaders as of today the Kings are a game and half out of eight place which is the final qualifying spot for the playoffs. They’re only a game and half behind Denver who has a record of 18-25 in between them are Portland with a record of 19-27 and New Orleans with a record of 18-27. So if you notice all three teams right there have the same record in the loss column.

Charlie O runs down all the latest on everything Kings on the podcast below and each week at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Kings hold on against Pistons to snap five-game losing streak 109-104

Published on January 24, 2017January 24, 2017 by Eric HeLeave a comment

Sacramento Kings forward DeMarcus Cousins drives during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Detroit Pistons, Monday, Jan. 23, 2017, in Auburn Hills, Mich. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)

By: Eric He

The Sacramento Kings finally got back in the win column with a 109-104 victory over the Pistons on Monday in Detroit.

Six players finished in double figures, with DeMarcus Cousins’ 22 points and 14 rebounds leading the way. Ty Lawson chipped in 19 points, including a 3-pointer that put the Kings ahead 101-90 midway through the fourth quarter. The Pistons cut the deficit to as low as four with a minute to play, but the Kings were able to hang on and close the game out.

The win is just the Kings’ second win in 10 games as they have fallen out of the playoff picture in the Western Conference. They are also in the midst of an eight-game road trip without Rudy Gay, who is out for the season with a ruptured left Achilles tendon.

The Kings led by three points at halftime and maintained the advantage throughout the second half, fending off comeback attempts by the Pistons. They managed to squeak away with the win despite shooting 48.8 percent compared to 50 percent for the Pistons.

The Pistons also had six players finish in double figures, with Reggie Jackson’s 18 points leading the way.

“Everybody has to step their game up,” Ty Lawson said to the AP on the loss of Gay. “Everybody has been working hard, and now that Rudy went down, we can show what they’ve been working on.”

The Kings’ road trip doesn’t get easier. They face the defending champion Cavaliers on Tuesday at Quicken Loans Arena.

The Miami Heat, behind Dion Waiters, torch the Warriors 7-game winning streak

Published on January 23, 2017January 24, 2017 by rxsluggerLeave a comment

Miami Heat’s Dion Waiters shoots a basket in the final seconds of the game to secure a victory over the Golden State Warriors’ Klay Thompson during an NBA basketball game in Miami, Monday, Jan. 23, 2017. (Charles Trainor Jr./Miami Herald via AP)

by Jerry Feitelberg

The Miami Heat, winners of three-straight before meeting the Warriors Monday night, looked like a playoff team. They entered the game with a record of 14-30 but did not play like a 14-30 team as they beat the Dubs 105-102.The game was nip and tuck all the way. The biggest lead the Heat had was nine points in the first quarter and the largest lead the Dubs had all night was six.

Miami started strong while the Warriors were ice cold. The Dubs were 3-for-12 from the field to start the game. Miami owned the lead 26-17 until Steve Kerr inserted JaVale McGee into the game. McGee gave the Warriors the spark they needed, and they took the lead 30-28 at the end of the quarter. Klay Thompson and McGee made the first two buckets of the second quarter and the Dubs led by six. The lead didn’t last long as the Heat tied the game at 36. They tied the score four more times in the quarter before the Warriors scored the final bucket of the half when Steph Curry made a layup as the buzzer sounded. The Dubs hold a 2-point advantage at halftime 48-46. Steph led the team with 11, and Kevin Durant added 10. Gorin Dragic led the Heat with 11, Waiters and James Johnson had nine apiece.

So far this season, the Warriors have owned the third quarter. However, tonight was not their night. The quarter belonged to Miami. They outscored the Dubs 31-25. Dion Waiters was hot, and he was clicking from downtown. The game did seesaw back and forth, but the Heat took the lead 63-62 and increased it to 77-73 at the end of the period. The Dubs regained the lead briefly 82-81, but Miami didn’t wilt. They increased the lead to 93-84. The Warriors couldn’t close the gap, and Miami led by ten 98-88 with 3:47 remaining in the game. The Dubs rallied behind Steph, Klay, and KD. Steph made a deuce and Klay, and KD made a three-point shot as the Dubs tied the score at 102 with 11 seconds left in the game. The Heat’s Dion Waiters, who tied his career high with 33 points, sank a three-point shot with just 0.6 seconds left in the game.

Game Notes and Stats- The Warriors were without the services of Andre Iguodala Monday night as Steve Kerr gave him the night off. The Warriors shot 46.6% from the floor, but they had a tough night making three-point shots. They attempted 30 and made just 8. Four of the eight were made in the fourth quarter. Steph and Klay were three-for-nine, and the Dubs shooting percentage for threes was a woeful 26.7%.

KD led the Dubs with 27. Steph had 21, and Klay added 22. The Heat was led by Waiters 33. Dragic had 19, Luke Babbitt 11, James Johnson and Wayne Ellington pitched in with 9 apiece. The Heat’s big man, Hassan Whiteside had a double-double with 10 points and 15 rebounds.

The Dubs fall to 38-7 while Miami improves to 15-30. The Warriors finish the road trip in Charlotte Wednesday evening. Game time is at 5 pm.

NBA Last 2 Minute Report to Kings: Oops! Our bad!

Published on January 22, 2017 by Charlie O. MalloneeLeave a comment

Dwyane Wade, DeMarcus Cousins — Wade blows slam dunk but gets the foul versus the Kings

by Charlie O. Mallonee

Controversy reigned in the Kings 102-99 loss to the Bulls on Saturday night in Chicago. With 17.1-seconds left in the game, Dwyane Wade stripped Garrett Temple of the ball and broke for his basket. Wade was trailed by Kings defenders. The superstar guard blew his slam dunk opportunity which would have given his team the lead. As Wade came back down to the floor, he was brushed by the Kings DeMarcus Cousins.

Cousins was called for a foul. Wade was awarded two free throws. He converted 1-of-2 free throws to give Chicago a 100-99 lead with 14-seconds to go in the game.

The Kings turned the ball over on their possession and the Bulls scored to put the game in the win column for Chicago.

On Sunday, the NBA released the Last Two Minute Officiating Report. At the 14-second mark the report reads: Cousins (SAC) has his hand on Wade’s (CHI) back while he is airborne, but he does not extend his arm and push him and the contact does not affect the shot attempt. The report notes a foul was called. The conclusion of the review is listed as IC – incorrect.

No one who was watching the game and who then saw the replays has any disagreement with the report’s conclusion. The only problem with the report is there is no remedy for the Kings. The result is really a statement to the Kings by the NBA of – “Hey SAC, our bad!” When your team is 16-27 and has lost five games in a row, that does not mean anything to the team … really.

Update on Rudy Gay

gay-injured — Rudy Gay unable to walk after going down in the Pacers game

Rudy Gay will go under the knife in New York City on Monday, January 23 to have his ruptured left Achilles tendon repaired. The surgery will take place at the Hospital for Special Surgery and be performed by Dr. Martin O’Malley.

Gay suffered the season-ending injury in the third quarter of the game against Indiana on Wednesday in Sacramento.

The Warriors start slowly but right the ship in the third quarter to beat the Orlando Magic

Published on January 22, 2017January 22, 2017 by rxsluggerLeave a comment

by Jerry Feitelberg

The Warriors played a very sloppy first half in the game against the Orlando Magic in Orlando on Sunday. The game had a start time of 12-noon, and many of the players were on 9 am west coast time. The Warriors and the Magic were tied at 50 at the end the first 24 minutes of play. During the halftime, Dub’s head coach must have used some of his “magic”(pun intended) to get the Dubs back on track for the second. Whatever it was, the men in blue and yellow dominated the third quarter, and the Warriors coasted to their 8th straight win by a score of 118-98.

The Warriors ended the first quarter with a 6 point lead 28-22. Orlando, trailing 10-6, went on a 10-0 run to grab the lead 16-10. JaVale McGee entered the game Golden State, and in just five minutes of play, McGee scored 8 points and had an assist to help the Dubs end the quarter on a 13-2 run. McGee scored on a tip-in, a spike, a layup and on a give-and-go. He recorded an assist when he dished off to Ian Clark who nailed a 3-pointer to give the Dubs the lead 28-22.

The second quarter was a nightmare for the Warriors. They went over five minutes without scoring a point. The Magic scored the first 16 points in the period to lead 38-28. Zaza Pachulia broke the spell with a bucket. The Warriors started to play defense and cut down on turnovers as they were able to come back and take a 50-47 lead near the end of the period. The Magic came back and tied it at 50 to end the half. Steph Curry was the only Warrior in double figures as he knocked down 11. The Magic’s scoring leaders were C.J.Watson and Serge Ibaka with nine each. The Warriors committed 12 turnovers in the half and were not in sync.

Now, we come to the third quarter. The Dubs have been superb all season long in this quarter and on Sunday, they shined. They outscored the Magic 42-24 and led by 18 at the close of the third period. Steph Curry made four 3-point shots, and Klay Thompson added two of his own. With the score 55-50 in Orlando’s favor. The Warriors went on a 19-2 run to lead 69-57. The Warriors kept the pressure on and ended the quarter with an 18-point advantage 92-74

The Warriors defense did not allow the Magic back in the game. Klay Thompson had two more 3-pointers. Andre Iguodala and Patrick McCaw also made a three. Kerr inserted his bench with six minutes left, and they coasted to the win.

Game Notes and Stats- The Warriors won their 8th game in a row and now own a record of 38-6. The Magic, coached by Frank Vogel, fell to 18-28. The game was a sellout in Orlando. The Magic have not been drawing well this year. There were so many Warrior fans in attendance; the team must have felt they were at home. Shaun Livingston did not play as the Warriors gave him the day off. Damian Jones, the number one draft choice of the Dubs this year, saw about six minutes of action in the fourth quarter but did not score.

Now for the stats-Steph Curry led the team with 27 points, six assists, and four boards. Klay Thompson scored 21. Both Steph and Klay hit seven 3-p0int shots. Kevin Durant had another double-double. He pitched in with 15 points, six assists, ten rebounds, and two blocked shots. The big men, Zaza Pachulia and JaVale McGee, scored 14 and 13 respectively. Draymond Green played his usual superb game. His line was 6 points, four assists, and ten rebounds. Patrick McCaw, coming off the bench, added 10. Ian Clark had 7, and Andre Iguodala had a nice game with 5 points, five assists, six rebounds, and one blocked shot. The Magic leading scorers were Elfrid Payton with 23, Bismarck Byombo with 12, C.J.Watson 12, Serge Ibaka 10, Jeff Green 12, and Nikola Vucevic 12.

More stats- the Warriors shot 47.2% from the floor and held the Magic to 43.8%. The Dubs were 19-for-42 from behind the arc. Steph and Klay made seven each. The Dubs outrebounded the Magic 52-41. They had 27 assists on 42 field goals. They had eight steals and four blocks. The one negative was turnovers. They made 12 in the first half but got their act together and committed just 6 in the last 24 minutes of play. They had 37 fast break points and scored 46 in the paint.

After the game, Steve Kerr talked about the team’s defense. “If we can focus on defense, we can run.” “with the firepower we have that means we can get one or more (of our big guns) going .” Kerr also remarked about the crowd cheering for Steph Curry. Kerr said ” everybody loves Steph. There are a lot of supporters on the road.”

The Warriors move on to Miami to face the Heat Monday night. Game time is at 4:30 pm. The Warriors beat the Heat 107-95 on January 10th at Oracle Arena.

Kings lose a heartbreaker in Chicago 102-99; SAC has now lost five in a row

Published on January 22, 2017 by Charlie O. MalloneeLeave a comment

bulls-boogie-victim — The victim of Cousins wrath after the loss in Chicago Photo: Sean Highkin TheAthleticChi

by Charlie O. Mallonee

The Sacramento Kings and Chicago Bulls came into the game in Chicago on Saturday night looking to end losing streaks. The Kings had lost four games in a row and the Bulls had lost two consecutive games. Both teams had been beaten soundly on Friday night.

The Kings and Bulls played hard and gave their full 48-minute efforts in a game that ended with a controversial call – if you are a Sacramento fan. When the final buzzer sounded, the Bulls (22-23) had won the game 102-99 and ended their losing streak. The Kings (16-27) went to their locker room frustrated and the owners of a five-game losing streak – their longest of the season.

You call that a foul?

With 15-seconds on the clock and the game tied at 99-99, Dwyane Wade was able to steal the ball from the Kings Garrett Temple and start a fast break for the basket. Wade went up for an uncontested dunk and hit the back of the iron. DeMarcus Cousins was trailing Wade and may (emphasis on may) have brushed Wade on his way down after missing the dunk. The officials blew the whistle and called a foul on Cousins. Basically, the referees could not believe that superstar guard would miss the breakaway slam unless he was fouled.

Multiple video replays showed that there was no foul on the play but the play was not eligible for video review. The call stood. Wade made 1-of-2 free throws and the Bulls took a 100-99 lead.

bulls-wade — Dwyane Wade scored 30 points against the Kings Photo: NBAE

The final 14-seconds

The Kings began working a play following a timeout when Taj Gibson was able to reach in and steal the ball from Cousins. The Bulls were able to score when Michael Carter-Williams put the ball through the hoop on an Alley Oop layup with an assist from Wade that gave the Bulls a 102-99 lead.

Garrett Temple brought the ball into the frontcourt quickly for the Kings and put up a 41-foot desperation shot that banged off the rim as the buzzer sounded. The game ended with the Bulls winning 102-99.

DeMarcus Cousins was a one-man wrecking crew

Cousins scored a game-high 42 points and pulled down 14 rebounds to record his 23rd double-double game of the season. Cousins scored those 42 points on just 28 shots. He converted 8-of-9 free throws and hit 2-of-7 shots from 3-point range. He sank those 3-pointers on back-to-back possessions late in the fourth quarter to keep his team in the game. Cousins had three assists and two blocked shots while committing only two turnovers in the contest. The Kings big man was their only player to score in double figures in the game.

Sacramento Kings v Chicago Bulls — Cousins left it all on the court in Chicago Photo: NBAE

To no one’s surprise it was the Wade and Butler show for the Bulls

Dwyane Wade led the Bulls scoring attack with 30 points. Wade did not have a great night shooting as he went 9-for-20 from the field. He did go an impressive 12-for-15 from the free throw line. Wade also added four assists, four blocked shots and three steals in the game. The superstar guard sent out a tweet to Bulls fans apologizing for their poor play in Atlanta on Friday night. Wade has nothing to apologize for after the way he played against the Kings on Saturday night.

Jimmy Butler scored 23 points and dished out seven assists against the Kings. He spent most of the game acting as the playmaker. Butler shot 6-for-14 from the floor and was a perfect 10-for-10 from free throw line. Butler and Wade went a combined 22-for-25 from the charity stripe.

Coach Joerger’s postgame analysis

Good game
Really proud of our guys
Thought we played our tails off for 48-minutes
(team) made major progress
(We have to) keep working hard; we’re going to figure it out; work it out
DeMarcus had a heck of a game
(In this game) Too much Dwyane Wade and Jimmy Butler
On the foul call on Cousins as Wade missed the dunk: Live ball – three on one

Kings needed another double figured scorer

If one other Kings player had scored in double figures, the final outcome might have been different. Nine other players participated in the game besides Cousins but none scored in double figures. Afflalo posted nine points and Collison, Temple and Lawson each scored eight points. With Rudy Gay sidelined for the rest of the season, one of the Sacramento players has to step up and become a double-figure scorer. More 3-point production could help that situation.

Where’s Rondo?

Rajon Rondo’s time in the Windy City may be coming to a close. Rondo played just six-minutes against the Kings on Saturday distributing four assists and scoring no points. The point guard who was so productive in Sacramento is finding it rough sledding in Chicago. Do not be surprised if Rondo is wearing a different uniform by the trade deadline in February because his time with the Bulls seems to be over.

Up next on the schedule

The Kings travel to Detroit where they will play the Pistons on Monday night. The Kings last win came over Detroit in Sacramento. The Kings will be looking to pick up their first win on the eight-game road trip versus the Pistons.

The Bulls will return to action on Tuesday in Orlando against the Magic.

Kings lose in Memphis; 1 down 7 to go on key road trip

Published on January 21, 2017January 21, 2017 by Charlie O. MalloneeLeave a comment

by Charlie O. Mallonee

The Sacramento Kings started an eight game road trip in Memphis on Friday night with a 107-91 loss to the Grizzlies. The Kings (16-26) have now lost four games in a row and have fallen to 11th place in the Western Conference but are just 1.5 games behind the Denver Nuggets who are in eighth place – the final playoff qualifying position.

As the Kings struggle to figure out how to win games without the injured Rudy Gay (Achilles tendon) for the rest of the season, the team must also deal with the fact they are still in playoff contention. At this point, it is almost appears that no team really wants to take control of eighth place in the West.

The Kings started the game strong in Memphis – something that this team has not been doing recently. They outscored the Grizzlies 23-15 in the first behind seven points from DeMarcus Cousins and Ty Lawson’s six points. The Kings also played strong defense holding Memphis to just 30.4-percent shooting including going 0-for-7 from beyond the 3-point line.

The situation changed dramatically in the second quarter as the Grizzlies came alive behind the play of Vince Carter who scored 11 points off the bench. Memphis shot 12-for-22 (54.5-percent) from the floor and hit 3-of-7 from long range. The Grizzlies outscored the Kings 34-19 and took a 49-42 lead with them to the locker room at halftime.

The Grizzlies came out in the third quarter ready play just like they had in the second period. In the third, it was Marc Gasol who led the Memphis attack with 15 points. Zach Randolph put up seven points in less than three minutes on the floor. The Grizzlies outscored Sacramento 34-22 as DeMarcus Cousins was limited to just three points in the period. At the end of three quarters, Memphis held a 84-63 lead.

After his team’s lackluster third quarter performance, Dave Joerger sat his starters for the fourth quarter and inserted Willie Cauley-Stein and Ben McLemore. Later in the fourth, rookies Malachi Richardson and Skal Labissiere saw playing time. The Kings did outscore the Grizzlies 27-24 in the final period.

Joerger’s postgame analysis

It was a tough game
We didn’t play really well
We didn’t make shots
We threw the ball away
Memphis has a really good team -players

Stars of the game

Grizzlies

Marc Gasol scored a game-high 28 points on Friday night shooting 9-for-19 from the floor. He shot 3-for-6 from 3-point range and was a perfect 7-of-7 from the free throw line. Gasol recorded eight rebounds and handed out four assists.
Zach Randolph was a star of the bench which is really no surprise. He posted a double-double scoring 20 points and grabbing 10 rebounds in just 23-minutes of playing time

Kings

It will come as no surprise that DeMarcus Cousins was the Kings star of the game. Sacramento with Rudy Gay lost for the remainder of the season is even more dependent on Cousins than they were three days ago. He led the Kings in scoring with 19 points and made it a double-double by recording 10 rebounds. The oddity was Cousins scored 16 points in the first half and just three point in the third quarter. He did not play in the fourth quarter by coach’s decision. Cousins also picked up his 14th technical foul in the second quarter of the game. That becomes very serious because technical foul number 16 results in a one-game suspension with additional suspensions for every two technical fouls after that 16th tech.

Co-stars

Kings

Garrett Temple made the start at forward and made an effort to fill the gap left by the loss of Rudy Gay. Temple put up 14 points and hauled in three rebounds while distributing three assists.
Ty Lawson worked hard on the second unit again on Friday night. He scored 13 points and dished out five assists. Lawson has really become a dependable “go to ” player off the bench for the Kings.

Grizzlies

Mike Conley showed again why he is such a key to the Grizzlies success working at the point by scoring 16 points and distributing eight assists. He also recorded eight rebound.
Tony Allen recorded a double-double at guard for Memphis against the Kings. He scored 13 and pulled down 10 rebounds. Five of those rebounds were offensive boards which kept possessions alive.

Key stat of the game

The Grizzlies out-rebounded the Kings 58-35. More importantly, 15 of the Memphis rebounds were offensive rebounds which extended possession and created second chance scoring opportunities. The Grizzlies posted 18 second-chance points to just four for Sacramento.

Up next on the schedule

The Kings moved on to Chicago were they will play the Bulls in the second game of a back-to-back set on the road. They will also face former teammate Rajon Rondo.
The Grizzlies are also back in action on Saturday as they host the high powered Houston Rockets in the FedEx Center “Grind House”.

The Warriors do it again, win their sixth in a row over the Houston Rockets 125-108

Published on January 20, 2017January 20, 2017 by rxsluggerLeave a comment

by Jerry Feitelberg

The Warriors are on a roll. They beat the Houston Rockets in Houston by a score of 125-108. The Warriors continue to play great defense as the held the Rockets All-Star James Harden to just 17 points. The Warriors led by five at the half 62-57. However, as they have done so often this season, they put it into gear and outscored the Rockets 37-22 to lead by twenty at the end of three periods of play.

They continue to shine on defense. They blocked seven shots and had eight steals. They continue to lead the NBA in both those categories. The big block of the night came in the fourth quarter when Kevin Durant blocked Eric Gordon’s 3-point shot. Gordon was 2-for-14 from the floor and ended the night with just six points.

With the win, the Warriors are now 37-6 for the season. The Rockets drop to 33-13 and are 2 games back of the San Antonio Spurs in the Southwest Division of the Western Conference. All five Warrior starter were in double figures. KD had a big night with 32 points,7 assists, 4 boards, and 2 blocked shots. Steph Curry made 5 three-point shots and ended the night with 24 points and he, too, had 7 assists. Klay Thompson knocked down 16. The Dubs’ defensive whiz, Draymond Green continued his excellent season with 15 points, 7 assists,8 rebounds, and 3 blocked shots.

Zaza Pachulia, who seems to be getting better as he gets used to the Warriors’ offense, recorded 10 points, 2 assists, and 9 rebounds. Andre Iguodala had 5 points, 2 assists, and 9 big rebounds helping the Dubs to the win. Patrick McCaw and James Michael McAdoo, who is filling in for the injured David West, each had 8 points. James Harden had a double-double with 17 points and 11 assists. Harden also committed 7 turnovers.Clint Capela scored 22, Sam Dekker 17, Patrick Beverly,13, and Trevor Aziza 12.

The Warriors have recorded 30 or more assists for the fourth game in a row and the 30th time this season. No other team in the NBA has had more than 8 games with 30 or more assists.

The Warriors have now beaten three of the five teams that have defeated them so far this year. They evened the series with a convincing win over the Cleveland Cavaliers last Monday. They beat the Lakers in November after an embarrassing early season loss in LA. They now defeated the Rockets to get a measure of revenge as the Rockets beat the Dubs in double-overtime at Oracle Arena in December. The Dubs now have to beat the Memphis Grizzlies, and San Antonio Spurs to get even. They play Memphis twice in February, once in Memphis and once at Oracle. They play the Sputs two more time, and both games will be in San Antonio.

The Warriors fly to the Sunshine State to play the Orlando Magic. Game time is at, gulp, 9 am Sunday morning. They play the Miami Heat on Monday.