Category: NBA

Now you see him – now you don’t: Kings waive Jordan Farmar

Published on by Charlie O. MalloneeLeave a comment

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by Charlie O. Mallonee

The Kings announced Monday that they have waived guard Jordan Farmar. Farmar was signed last week to help at point guard until Darren Collison is finished with his eight-game suspension. Collison is eligible to join the active roster tomorrow for the game versus the New Orleans Pelicans.

Farmar played two games for Sacramento averaging 6.0 points, 1.5 rebounds and 4.5 assists per game. The 10-year NBA veteran played for Kings head coach Dave Joerger in Memphis for the final 10 regular season games and four playoff games last season.

Kings fans may have not seen the last of Farmar this season. Should injury or player movement create roster needs at guard, the Kings may well call on him again if Farmar is available.

Kings triumph in Toronto 96-91

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NBA: Sacramento Kings at Toronto Raptors
Photo credit:Tom Szczerbowski USA Today

by Charlie O. Mallonee

Kings victorious in final game of road trip 

The Sacramento Kings bounced back from playing one of their worst games of the season on Saturday in Milwaukee to playing one of their best games of the year on Sunday in Toronto to defeat the Raptors 96-91. Toronto (4-2) had won three consecutive games. The Kings (3-5) had lost four games in a row.

The Kings have played what has been rated the toughest schedule so far this season in the NBA. Five games in seven nights on the road in the Eastern Conference traveling from Miami to Toronto is brutal. It is also the reality of playing in the NBA. Every team has stretches in their schedules like this and to be successful a team has to deal with the difficulties.

The Kings found a way to deal with best team they had to face on this road trip by stepping up their defense and shortening the rotation off the bench. Head coach Dave Joerger used just nine players off his bench on Sunday night and his veteran players came through for him with the extended playing time – especially on defense.

The Kings held the hot shooting Raptors to just 35.7-percent (30-for-84) from the floor. The Toronto guard tandem of DeMar DeRozan and Kyle Lowry entered the contest averaging 53 points combined per game. The Sacramento defense held them to just 38 combined points on Sunday night.

DeRozan had scored at least 30 points in each of Toronto’s five games this year. The Kings held him to just 23 points.

The Sacramento Kings won on Sunday because of their defense. It has been awhile since you have read those words.

It’s deja vu all over again

The Kings swept the two -game series with the Raptors last season. The Kings won 107-101 in Sacramento behind DeMarcus Cousins 36 points and 10 rebounds. The Kings downed the Raptors in Toronto 104-94 when they had six players score in double figures.

The Kings will have a chance to complete the sweep this season on Sunday November 20 when the Raptors will visit the Golden 1 Center.

Kings dominate the paint

Toronto was without starting center Jonas Valanciunas who sat out because of a left knee contusion. That meant the Raptors 2016 first-round draft pick Jakob Poeltl and Lucas Nogueira who the Raptors have been developing overseas and in the D-League since 2011 had to play the five spot. Poeltl looked like a rookie and eventually fouled out of the game. Nogueria who was seeing his first action of the season after being out because of a sprained ankle looked very good. It is easy to see why Toronto has invested in his development.

The Kings dominated the paint outscoring the Raptors 52-30. Sacramento also out-rebounded Toronto 47-43.

Top performers

Rudy Gay led the Kings scoring attack with 23 points. Gay missed the game in Milwaukee with sore ribs. He played the game in Toronto with his ribs wrapped which did affect his shooting as he went 9-for-19 from the floor.

DeMarcus Cousins posted another double-double game with 22 points and 14 rebounds to go with four assists. Cousins was much more effective from out on the high post than down low under the basket. When he would drive the lane, Cousins was virtually unstoppable.

Ty Lawson was very good on the point dishing out 11 assists and adding five points. Shooting guard Arron Afflalo scored 12 points off just eight shots.

Matt Barnes was a force on defense and scored eight points plus grabbed 10 rebounds. Garrett Temple impacted the game with presence scoring eight points to go with a steal and a blocked shot.

DeRozan led the Raptors in scoring with 23 points but went 7-for-20 shooting. Lowry had 10 assists. Nogueia was the Raptors leading rebounder with five.

Dave Joerger was a happy man after the game

In the postgame press conference Joerger said:

  • He was really proud of his guys and how they responded in a back-to-back game
  • They (the Kings) get after people defensively
  • We had seven guys with two or more rebounds
  • We kept the turnovers down (the Kings had 11 turnovers and gave up just two points off those turnovers)
  • We had seven stops in a row with under 2:30 to play
  • A win like this gives you confidence
  • Rudy (Gay) gave us a big boost

What’s coming up

The Kings have a long flight home and then must get ready to face the New Orleans Pelicans (0-6) on Tuesday night at the Golden 1 Center. Sacramento then has the Lakers (3-3) at home on Thursday night before heading back out on the road.

The Raptors hit the road and will face the Thunder in Oklahoma City on Wednesday. They then travel to Charlotte to face the Hornets on Friday night.

Golden State Warriors Friday game wrap: Lakers sky high energy flattens Golden State 117-97 in annual beat down

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By Jessica Kwong

AP photo: The Los Angeles Lakers forward Larry Nance Jr (7) is pulled down by the Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) as Curry’s teammates forward Andre Iguodala (9) and guard Ian Clark (21) watch at Staples Center on Friday night

LOS ANGELES – The star-studded Golden State Warriors – not the rebuilding Los Angeles Lakers – took a 117-97 beating at Staples Center on Friday night as the Splash Brothers had an unusually flat night.

 Stephen Curry finished with 13 points while Draymond Green scored 16 points against a young, Kobe Bryant-less Lakers team. Golden State’s new star, Kevin Durant, lead scoring with 27 points, but they couldn’t manage to catch up to the energetic Lakers.

 Warriors head coach Steve Kerr said his team had bad defense, no-flow offense, and a pretty lousy night all around.

 “It’s our annual beat down at Staples by the Lakers, they do this every year. Let’s just give them credit – they came in sky high with a ton of energy,” Kerr said. “Played really well and we were flat, right from the beginning. Never even had a run the entire game.”

 Los Angeles took a 8-0 lead to start the game, as D’Angelo Russell and Nick Young hit three-pointers. The Warriors hit just one of their first 11 attempts, and the Lakers ran away with a 24-15 lead at the end of the first quarter. Golden State committed 8 turnovers.

 The Warriors tried to catch up in the second quarter and got within 41-34 at the half.

 “That’s a young and hungry team with a new staff and their getting after it,” Draymond said. “We’re obviously going to get everyone’s best shot and we got to know that.”

 The main thing the Lakers succeeded in doing was not letting the Warriors get back in the game. Players responded every time the Warriors tried to come back, “and that’s not easy to do against a team like that,” said Lakers head coach Luke Walton, who was an assistant coach for the Warriors last season.

 “Our guys responded every time and that’s not easy to do against a team like that. Obviously, for us, it was nice that Steph and Klay went 2-20 from three. That helps,” Walton said. “But our guys, form the opening tip, really got after it tonight.”

 The Splash Brothers couldn’t turn their game on in the second half either. More than halfway through the quarter, Durant made an alley-oop dunk from Curry to bring the Warriors within 75-68. With 30 seconds to go, they cut the Lakers’ lead to 89-82, but Lou Williams made a couple of free throws, Curry made a bad pass and Brandon Ingram stole the ball, and Jordan Clarkson hit a jump shot. Lakers led 93-82 at the end of the quarter.

 “You can’t just rely on emotion. You have to be able to rely on execution to win consistently in the NBA. There’s going to be nights where you don’t quite have the energy or the emotion that you had the previous night, so you have to be able to rely on execution, defense and toughness,” Kerr said. “We had none of that.

 While Curry and Green couldn’t seem to make three’s, Williams hit a couple in the fourth quarter as well as a slam dunk and a layup just before the 2-minute mark that gave the Lakers a whooping 20-point lead. With 17 seconds left, Clarkson stole the ball and walked it the other side of the court as the clock ran out and purple and gold confetti fell from the rafters.

 “They had nothing to lose, they were playing with house money,” Durant said of the Lakers. “They came out playing loose, playing the game, playing together, playing with energy, feeding off their crowd and they hit us in the mouth.”

 After the game, Curry didn’t think about losing his consecutive three-point steak until a reporter pointed it out.

 “Oh yeah, that’s right. No, that was a cool little ride,” Curry said. “Would have been cool to finish my career making one every game.”

 Kerr said starting 4-2 “is a good record,” and seeming a bit irked by the question from a reporter, said, “Last year has nothing to do with this year. I don’t care about last year.”

 “I don’t care about the record now, I care about how we’re playing,” Kerr said. “We’ve been totally up and down … It seems like what we’re doing right now is we are going to win or lose based on our emotion and our energy and if shots go in and that’s not a good recipe in this league.”

 The Warriors return to Oracle Arena to face the New Orleans Pelicans on Monday. Tipoff is at 7:30 p.m.

 

Game Preview Update: Sacramento Kings vs. Milwaukee Bucks Saturday, Rudy Gay Doubtful to play

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by Charlie O. Mallonee

Injury Update

Jason Jones beat writer for the Sacramento Bee is reporting that Rudy Gay is doubtful to play in the game in Milwaukee tonight due to sore ribs. Gay was instrumental in the Kings series sweep of the Bucks last season. Matt Barnes and Omri Casspi would pick up the slack if Gay is unable to go.

Rudy Gay Trade Rumor Update

The most recent trade rumor mill has the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Kings working on a deal that would send Rudy Gay to the Thunder for Cameron Payne. This report comes Headlines and Global News.

The Thunder are looking for someone to take some of the pressure off Russell Westbrook to be “the offense” with the departure of Kevin Durant.

Payne is coming off the injury list with a broken foot. The Kings are said to be looking for a “long term” solution at point guard. The young Payne who backs up Westbrook could possibly fit that role.

With Gay declaring he is opting out of his last year of his contract with the Kings to test the free agent market, his name is going to come up frequently in the rumor mill.

Kings need to a win on this road trip

The Sacramento Kings (2-4) have lost three consecutive games on this first long road trip of the season. After losing in Atlanta, Miami and Orlando, the Kings will be looking for their first win of the road trip in Milwaukee on Saturday night. The Bucks are another tier-three team that is not expected to make the playoffs. In theory, the Bucks are a team the Kings should be able to beat on the road.

Bucks will be trying to keep a winning streak alive

Milwaukee (3-2) won their second consecutive game on Thursday night when they defeated the Indiana Pacers 125-107. The Bucks are now 3-0 when they score 100-plus points in a game this season. That makes one of the goals for the Kings in the game very easy to prioritize … “keep ’em under 100!” Giannis Antetokounmpo and Jabari Parker scored 27 points each in the win.

Kings dominated the series last season

The Kings won both games of the series with the Bucks last year. Sacramento won 128-118 in Milwaukee and then took the game in Sacramento 111-104. Ironically, the Kings won both of those games without DeMarcus Cousins in the line up for either game. Rudy Gay was the leading scorer for Sacramento in both of those wins over the Bucks.

Casspi takes a bigger role in Orlando

Omri Casspi came off the bench and played 23 minutes against the Magic. He scored 12 points shooting 5-for-13 including two 3-point baskets. Playing time had been hard to come by for Casspi but his involvement in the Orlando game may mark a change in Dave Joerger’s rotation.

Farmar is with the team

Jordan Farmar who signed with the team on Wednesday was the Kings in Orlando on Thursday but did not play. He will be available to play in Milwaukee on Saturday night.

Key players in the game

The Kings will be dependent on the big two – Cousins and Gay – as they have been so far in all of their games this season. What they will be looking for is another key player to step up. In Orlando, the Magic shutdown Cousins and Gay in the fourth quarter and the Kings needed another player (or players) to take over the scoring in order to earn the victory. That player has yet to be identified.

Giannis Antetokounmpo and Jabari Parker are the key players for Bucks. They will look for help from Greg Monroe coming off the bench to lead the attack for the second unit. Milwaukee also added free agent guard Matthew Dellavedova in off-season to upgrade their team.

For entertainment purposes only

The odds-makers are in high agreement so far about this game on Saturday night. They list the Bucks as the favorites minus two points which is the usual home court advantage call. The over-under projection is 204.5 points.

Golden State Warriors-Los Angeles Lakers game analysis and commentary: The Lakers upset The Dubs, win by twenty.

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by Jerry Feitelberg

AP photo: Los Angeles Lakers head coach Luke Walton knows enough about the Golden State Warriors from coaching them last year came prepared for Friday’s game win at Staples Center

Los Angeles-The late Dinah Washington had a hit song titled “What a difference a day make. Twenty-four little hours.” The Golden State Warriors did not look like the team that blew away the Oklahoma City Thunder Thursday night; They were a team that was out of rhythm and made too mistakes both on offense and defense and the Los Angeles Lakers beat them by twenty points 117-97 Friday night in LA Friday night at the Staples Center.

The young Laker team coached by former Warriors’ assistant coach Luke Walton, had no trouble taking the ball to the rim all night long. They outrebounded the Dubs 32-29 in the first half. Golden State had trouble making 3-point shots all night long. In the first half, the Dubs make just two 3-point shots in seventeen attempts. They fell behind by twelve 24-12 late in the stanza. Andre Iguodala made a three but the Lakers countered with a bucket to end the period up by nine 24-15.

The Warriors played better in the second quarter. They scored thirty-four. The Lakers failed to fold, and they poured in forty-one to lead by sixteen at the half.  The Lakers were led by Nick Young(10),Julius Randle(12),D’Angelo Russell(6),Tarik Black(8),Jordan Clarkson(9),and Larry Nance,Jr(8). They outrebounded the Dubs 32-23, and the Warriors turned the ball over nine times.

The Warriors made a run in the third period, but the Lakers rebuffed them at every turn. The Dubs went on a 16-2 run to reduce the deficit to seven. Luke Walton would call a timeout every time the Dubs started to gain momentum, and that seemed to upset the team’s rhythm. The Lakers finished the third quarter ahead by eleven 93-82. Golden State continued to thwart the Warriors every effort to get back in the game. The Lakers went on a 7-0 run to put the game out of reach, and they sent the Dubs down to their second loss of the season 117-97.

Game Notes- The Warriors backcourt duo of Klay Thompson and Steph Curry had, perhaps, one of their worst games ever. Steph scored thirteen points and did not make a single 3-point shot all night. He was 0-for 12 and his NBA record 157 consecutive game streak was snapped. Klay made two 3-point shots but missed eight and tallied just ten points in the contest. Kevin Durant led the Dubs with twenty-seven, and Draymond Green added sixteen. Green had four assists and nine rebounds and was, probably, one of the bright spots on defense for the Dubs. Kevon Looney and Shaun Livingston scored nine and eleven off the bench. Kevin Durant scored at least twenty points in his seventieth straight game.

The Lakers were paced by Julis Randle, D’Angelo Russell, Nick Young, Larry Nance, theyJr.,Lou Williams and Brandon Ingram. The Lakers shot 47.4% from the floor. They made eight 3-point shots and led the Dubs in rebounds 51-40. The Dubs committed sixteen turnovers that cost them dearly. Golden State’s record is now 4-2 and the Lakers improve to 3-3.

The Dubs are off until Monday, and Coach Steve Kerr will be studying the game tapes to figure out ways to get the Dubs back on the right track. They played well in the last two games prior to Friday’s night’s debacle in LA.  The two games that they have lost have been by wide margins indicating the team is still a work in progress.

The Warriors return home to face the New Orleans Pelicans Monday Night at the Oracle Arena. Game time is at 7:30 pm.

 

 

The Warriors blow out the Thunder 122-96 at Oracle

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by Jerry Feitelberg

AP photo: The Oklahoma Thunder’s defense try to put the kibosh on the Golden State Warriors Kevin Durant (35) during the first half of Thursday night’s game at Oracle Arena

Oakland- The Warriors defeated the Oklahoma City Thunder 122-96 Thursday night at the Oracle Arena. The game was hyped as a grudge match between the two teams. The Thunder organization and the fans in OKC were enraged when Kevin Durant opted to leave the Thunder and join the Dubs. Durant felt the Warriors would be the team to get him a championship ring. The Thunder came close to making the Finals last year as they led the Warriors 3 games to one, but they could not put the Warriors away. The Dubs rallied to eliminate them in seven. So, there was a lot of electricity in the air when the two teams faced each other in the first meeting of the year. The Thunder entered the game with a record of 4-0 and their star player, Russell Westbrook, averaged about 38 points a game in the first four outings. The Warriors, on the other hand, played poorly and lost by a wide margin to the San Antonio Spurs at home to open the season. The Dubs went on the road and won the next three games. They had a hard time with the New Orleans Pelicans and the Phoenix Suns. They found their mojo against the Portland Trail Blazers and looked like the team that won the NBA Championship in 2014-2015.

In the first period, the Thunder played well to start the game. The only lead the Dubs had in the early going was 3-2. Kevin Durant made the first of his seven 3-point shots to give Golden State the lead. The Thunder’s big man, Steve Adams from New Zealand, scored nine points in the early going to stake the Thunder to a 20-12 advantage. The Thunder increased the lead to 31-21, but the Dubs went on a 10-1 run to end the first period trailing by one 32-31. The Warriors were smoking hot to start the second stanza. They went on another 12-2 run behind Kevin Durant, Klay Thompson, and Steph Curry. The Warriors defense shut the Thunder down completely in the period as Golden State outscored them 37-11 to take a 25-point lead at the end of the first half. The score was 68-43. Kevin Durant led the Dubs with twenty-nine points. Steph had thirteen and Klay six. Klay, who could not hit a 3-point shot in the prior games, nailed two in the half. The Dubs tried 16 3-pointers and made eight. OKC shot just 33.3% from the floor and was four for fifteen from 3-point range. Leading scorers for OKC in the half were Westbrook with twelve, Victor Oladipo added eight and Adams had nine. The Dubs outrebounded the Thunder 36-31.

The second half became a highlight reel for Durant. He continued to make three-point shots. He made a couple of spectacular dunks and blocked a couple of shots. Steph and Klay each made a pair of three-pointers, and the Dubs increased the lead to 28 at the end of 3 periods of play. Coach Steve Kerr kept his regulars in for just a short time in the fourth period, and it allowed Kerr to use his bench as did Thunder coach Billy Donovan. The Dubs blew out the Thunder by a final of 122-91.

Kevin Durant had a monster game. He scored thirty-nine points. He was 16 for 24 from the floor and made seven 3-point shots. After the game, he said in an interview that he “wanted to come out and play good basketball.” He did not want to talk about the chatter that went on between him and his former teammates during the game. He said that stuff stays within the lines. Durant tied an NBA record held by Michael Jordan Thursday night. He scored at least twenty points in his sixty-ninth consecutive game. Steph Curry scored twenty-one and had seven assists. Klay ended the night with eighteen points and he made four three-point shots.Draymond Green added nine to go along with five assists and ten rebounds. Zaza Pachulia pitched in with 8 points, five assists and pulled down ten boards.

Russell Westbrook scored twenty with ten assists and six rebounds. Victor Odalipo led the Thunder with twenty-one. The OKC bench led the Dubs bench 29-27, but they picked up most of those points in garbage time. The Dubs won their fourth in a row and are 4-1 for the season while the Thunder lost for the first time this year, and they are also 4-1.

The Dubs travel to Los Angeles to face the Lakers at the Staples Center Friday night. The Lakers are coached by former Warrior assistant coach Luke Walton. Should be an intriguing game as the pupil faces off against his mentor. Game time is at 7:30 pm PT.

 

Kings sign guard Jordan Farmar

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by Charlie O. Mallonee

Free Agent Point Guard Returns to Kings

The Sacramento Kings announced today that they have signed free agent guard Jordan Farmar. The announcement was made by Kings vice president of basketball operations and general manager Vlade Divac.

Farmar was with the Kings in the  preseason looking to fill one of the open spots on the roster. He averaged 6.5 points, 1.8 rebounds and 2.8 assists per contest in the 4 games he played in for Sacramento. Farmar scored 14 points and had five assists against the Lakers in a preseason game on October 13th.

The Kings waived Farmar along with rookie point guard Isaiah Cousins on October 24th.

Farmar was in Memphis with Joerger Last Season

Farmar joined Dave Joerger’s squad in Memphis late in the regular season in 2016. He started 10 regular season games and then started four playoff games for the Grizzlies.

Farmar is a nine-year veteran of the NBA. He has played for the Lakers, Net, Clippers, Grizzlies and now the Kings. Farmar played his college basketball at UCLA.

No Roster Move Required

Darren Collison – who is serving his eight-game suspension for a domestic incident – has been moved to a suspended list. That leaves an opening on the roster that Kings are filling with Farmar.

Collison Due Back Next Tuesday

Darren Collison will be eligible to play beginning next Tuesday, November 8th when the Kings host the New Orleans Pelicans at the Golden 1 Center in Sacramento. The Kings will have to make a roster move prior to the start of that game in order to meet the 15-man maximum roster limit.

Kings Play Thursday Night

The Kings play game three of their five game road trip Thursday night in Orlando. With Farmar signing today, it is reasonable to expect he will be in uniform tomorrow night to face the Magic.

The Warriors play well, blast the Trail Blazers

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by Jerry Feitelberg

AP photo: Golden State Warriors Stephen Curry (left) drives past the Portland Trailblazers Al-Farouq Aminu (right) in in the first half in Portland Tuesday night

Portland, Oregon- Tuesday night in Portland, the Golden State Warriors played their best game of the young 2016-17 season by routing the Trail Blazers 127-104. They looked like the Warriors of the past two season. They moved the ball well; they played defense, and they got great play from the bench.  The Dubs bench outscored the Portland bench 54-39.

The Dubs got off to a slow start as they trailed by 7 points 18-11 at the midway point of the first period. Guard Ian Clark came off the bench and sparked the Warriors to a 34-25 lead at the end of one period of play. The Warriors were terrific on defense. The players were knocking passes away, rebounding, forcing turnovers and blocking shots. They looked like the Warriors of old. The Dubs continued to play well in the second period. The Blazers behind Damian Lillard and C.J.McCollum also played well and cut the deficit to six at the end of the first half. Warriors lead 59-53. The leading scorer for Golden State was Ian Clark with sixteen. Kevin Durant had eleven, Klay Thompson ten, Steph Curry just five and Draymond Green six. Leading scorers for Portland were Lillard with twenty-two, McCcollum eight and Evan Turner, off the bench, eleven. The Warriors continued to shoot three-point shots poorly. They were four for fifteen from behind the three-point stripe.

The third period belonged to Steph Curry. Curry made five 3-point shots and made two 3-point plays. He outscored the entire Portland team 21-20 in the third period. The Dubs went on a 20-4 run late in the stanza as the defense and Steph overwhelmed Terry Stotts’ team.

The bench played most of the fourth period. The only starter in the lineup was Klay Thompson. Klay had to miss most of the third period with four fouls. Coach Kerr wanted Klay to work on his 3-point shots, but Klay just couldn’t put one in from 3-point range. He is frustrated but he is too good a shooter and he will break out soon.

The defense was great. The bench contributed mightily to the win. Ian Clark, Andre Iguodala, Shaun Livingston, and David West all made significant contributions to the Dubs win. Steph led the team with 28 points. Durant had 20. Durant has scored at least 20 points in 68 consecutive games and is closing in on Michael Jordan’s record of sixty-nine straight. Lillard had 31 for Portland and McCollum added sixteen. Layman scored seventeen off the bench but most of those points came late in the fourth period well after the game was decided.

After the game, Coach Steve Kerr said this about Steph:”He looked like Riley Curry(Steph’s older daughter) in the first half and like Steph Curry in the second half.” He also sais that he”had never seen anyone like that turn it on that quickly.” Kerr remarked this about the defense “I thought the defense was the best so far” and that “Draymond was phenomenal and set the tone early in the game.” Green finished the night with six points,nine assists, and eight rebounds. The Dubs controlled the boards outrebounding Portland 45-32

The Warrior next game will be against the Oklahoma Thunder Thursday night at the Oracle Arena. Kevin Durant will be facing his ex-teammates for the first time since shocking the basketball world and signing as a free agent with the Warriors in the off-season. Russel Westbrook and company will be seeking revenge as the Dubs eliminated them in the playoffs last season. Game time will be at 7:30pm.

The Warriors struggle but they still win, defeat the Phoenix Suns

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by Jerry Feitelberg

AP photo: Eric Bledsoe (2) of the Phoenix Suns gets the throw down on the Golden State Warriors Andre Iguodala (9) in the first half of Sunday night’s game in Phoenix

Phoenix- The Golden State Warriors defeated the Phoenix Suns 106-100 Sunday night in Phoenix. The Dubs started strong and owned  15-8 lead midway through the first period. After a time-out, the Suns came roaring back and went on a 16-0 run to take a 24-15 lead. The Dubs tried to get even, but they just were not in sync. They trailed by eight points at the end of the first period. Steph Curry scored the Dubs’ first ten points.The rest of the team scored just seven points in the last six minutes of the period. In the second period, the Warriors were not able to close the gap until late in the period. The Dubs trailed 57-55 at halftime. Kevin Durant scored nineteen in the first half to get Golden State back in the game. Steph added eighteen. The Phoenix attack was led by Eric Bledsoe, T.J.Warren and Tyson Chandler. The Dubs turned the ball over thirteen times in the first half, and the Suns were able to capitalize on the Dubs’ sloppy play.

Golden State did not run away with the game in the second half. It was nip and tuck all the way until the final seconds of the contest. The Warriors committed just two turnovers in the final twenty-four minutes of action, and their defense was superb. Draymond Green was terrific, and the Warrior defense allowed just forty-three points as Golden State won its second game of the year.

Kevin Durant led the Warriors with thirty-seven points. Steph Curry added twenty-eight. Klay Thompson was cold for most of the game, but he did put in fourteen. Draymond Green was also cold from the floor, but he made up for it with nine assists and thirteen rebounds. Zaza Pachulia also had five points, and he tallied four assists and pulled down ten boards.

The Warriors had a hard time getting in rhythm all night long. They weren’t able to fast break a lot, and the biggest lead was just seven points. They were able to shut down the Suns late in the game, but the outcome was in doubt until Steph sunk two free throws with just 12.9 seconds left to play.

The stats in the game were this. Golden State shot 42.2% from the field. Phoenix shot 41.1% The Dubs were 8 for 29 from three-point range (27.6%). Phoenix was 8 for 23. The Suns grabbed 50 rebounds compared to the Warriors’43. The Dubs led 27-19 in assists. Golden State committed fifteen turnovers.

The Warriors record for the year is now 2-1 while the Suns, under first-year coach Earl Watson, drop to 0-3. The Warriors next game will be in Portland Tuesday night, and they return to the Oracle Arena Thursday night to face Russell Westbrook and the Oklahoma City Thunder.

 

 

Kings squeak past Timberwolves 106-103

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NBA: Minnesota Timberwolves at Sacramento Kings
Photo Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports

by Charlie O. Mallonee

Sacramento – The Sacramento Kings won their first game in the new Golden 1 Center on Saturday night by squeaking by the Minnesota Timberwolves 106-103.It was literally a last-second victory as the Timberwolves had the chance to tie the game or take the lead with 02.6-seconds left on the clock.

The Kings record improves to 2-1 on the season with the victory. Head coach Dave Joerger said the win has some meaning as the Kings get ready to start a five-game road trip.

“It just means you go on the road trip 2-1. I think there is a nice difference between being 2-1 and 1-2 and how you feel about yourself, knowing you are going to play your next five in all kinds of different states around the union,” said coach Joerger about the upcoming road trip. “I think that’s a better feeling getting on the plane tomorrow.”

The loss leaves the Timberwolves winless on the season. Minnesota lost their season opener in Memphis when they let a 14-point lead slip away late in the game. The Timberwolves let an 18-point lead over the Kings evaporate on Saturday night.

New Minnesota head coach Tom Thibodeau likes his teams talent but feels that something has to happen before they can start winning.

“We have to get a lot tougher. We got to get a lot tougher.”

Minnesota can pass and shoot the ball. The Timberwolves shot 51.4-percent from the floor in the game. They shot over 60-percent in the first quarter. Thibodeau is also correct when he says they are not a very physical team when they need to be.

The Kings started the game slowly shooting under 40-percent for much of the first quarter and allowing Andrew Wiggins to score 13 points. Dave Joerger became so frustrated that he pulled his five starters off the floor with 3:18 to go in the quarter and put in the entire second unit.

The Kings came back to life in the second quarter behind Rudy Gay who scored 12 points and DeMarcus Cousins who put up 11. Matt Barnes came off the bench to make a real difference especially on defense.

The Timberwolves led the Kings 65-54 at halftime.

The third quarter was the difference maker in this game. The Kings came out on fire on both ends of the floor. Sacramento outscored Minnesota 31-12 in the period. The Timberwolves shot only 25-percent from the floor.

Minnesota turned the ball over seven times in the period that resulted in 14 Sacramento points. The Kings had just two turnovers the Timberwolves were unable to turn into any points.

“The 3rd quarter was a problem, big problem. We have to take a look the problems and see where the issues are,” said Tom Thibodeau.

The fourth quarter began with the Kings leading 85-77. Sacramento opened up a 10-point lead then the Timberwolves began to chip away at the that lead. Minnesota went on a 9-0 run and tied the game 100-100 with 3:11 to play.

The Kings went back up by five. After Wiggins hit a free throw and cut the lead to four, the unthinkable happened. DeMarcus Cousins picked up his sixth personal foul with 50.9-seconds left in the game. The Kings had to finish the game with their best player on the bench.

Rookie guard Kris Dunn who was fouled by Cousins missed both of his free throws. Gorgui Dieng grabbed the rebound and Zach LaVine missed a 3-point jump shot. Karl-Anthony Towns got the rebound and converted the lay up to make it a two point game, 105-103.

After winning a jump ball, the Timberwolves were unable to hit a basket. Matt Barnes was fouled going for a rebound with 00.2-seconds left. He hit 1-of-2 free throws to end the game.

The Kings won the game 106-103.

Kings (2-1)

  • Cousins was the Kings leading scorer with 29 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists
  • Rudy Gay had a big night 28 points, 11-for-20 shooting
  • Matt Barnes – the impact player of the game off the bench – 12 points including three 3-pointers to go with 9 assists
  • Ben McLemore bounced back from his troubles in the Spurs game scoring 13 points and shooting 50-percent from the field
  • The Kings improved their shooting by 6-percent over Thursday by shooting 45.9-percent (39-for-85) in the game.

Timberwolves (0-2)

  • Andrew Wiggins scored 29 points to lead the Timberwolves scoring attack. He is very difficult to stop when he wants to shoot.
  • Guard Zach LaVine had a big night putting up 21 points while shooting 50-percent from the floor
  • Karl-Anthony Towns added 15 points but the battle between him and fellow Kentucky Wildcat DeMarcus Cousins was a non-event. They just did not match up much in the game
  • PG Ricky Rubio experienced a sprained elbow. Rubio was rumored to be a trade target of the Kings but Minnesota was reluctant to part with him until Kris Dunn is ready

Up Next

The Kings begin a five-game road trip on Monday night in Atlanta. Sacramento will play five games in seven nights all in the Eastern time zone except for the Milwaukee game which is in the Central time zone.

Minnesota heads home to open their home season with the Memphis Grizzlies on Tuesday night. The Timberwolves will be looking for redemption after losing to Memphis in their season opener.