Category: NBA

Sacramento Kings podcast with Charlie O: Expect George Karl to leave Kings; talk new coach already eminent

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

photo credit zimbio.com: Sacramento Kings head coach George Karl might be coaching his last game in Houston as Kings coach on Wednesday night

On the Sacramento Kings podcast with Charlie O the Kings play their last game of the season on Wednesday night in Houston and it will be a season that is longed to be over with. The Kings had their struggles throughout the season. With question of if head coach George Karl will stay, owner Vivek Ranadive pushing for Karl to be fired but back tracking.

DeMarcus Cousins accumulating 16 technical fouls this season alone. The refs might have pushed on Cousins because of his ability to lose it on them at times. There were the suspensions during the season of Couisins and the questions of whether Cousins will stay in Sac or not.

Charlie O recaps the Sacramento Kings season on the podcast click on to hear it all at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Curry’s first double double leads to Kings’ win in Phoenix

Published on by Michael MartinezLeave a comment

by Michael Martinez

picture credit Robin Hagy Photography

SACRAMENTO- It all came down to free throws at the end of the game. Fortunately, the end of the game was not constantly fouling the Kings, who gave up a 15 point lead they had early in the fourth quarter.

The Kings even had a seven point lead within a minute to play, but the Suns never quit. Phoenix would cut the lead down to two with 21 seconds left in regulation. Ben McLemore got to the line where he missed both free throws and gave the Suns some hope to tie it up. Luckily, rookie sensation Devin Booker missed a jumper and James Anderson got the rebound and got to the line. Anderson made them both to put the Kings up by four. After a couple of free throws by Quincy Acy to maintain their four point lead with three seconds to go. The Kings picked up win number 33, 105-101.

Without DeMarcus Cousins and Rajon Rondo, Seth Curry and Kosta Koufos stepped up in a huge way. Curry got his first career double double in the ball game with 20 points and 15 assists. Curry made some outstanding passes as he drove to the hoop and broke down the defense. On 8-14 from the field and 3-6 from beyond the arc, Curry continues to be an effective scorer. One of those threes he juked his defender, made a spin move and knocked down the shot. Curry is solidifying himself with his recent play and the Kings’ decision to sign him has paid off. Hopefully he will continue to develop and make an impact for this team who might not retain Rondo after this offseason.

As DMC sat out, the Kings lost his 26.9 points per game but Koufos did a good job on the offensive end with 19 points and eight boards. Gay chipped in 15 points and although McLemore missed two late free throws, he added 14 points of his own.

The Kings turned the ball over 19 times, which led to 27 points for the Suns. Phoenix also out rebounded Sacramento, 51-40. Phoenix grabbed 17 offensive rebounds and they scored 17 second chance points. Their turnovers and a bit lack of size almost cost Sacramento the game, but the Kings shooting 49.3% led to their victory.

Sacramento will finish their season on the road in Houston against the Rockets. Cousins will once again not play, so expect Koufos to get playing time once again. And whether or not Rondo plays, Curry must get more minutes in the season finale to to see his development as he continues to set career highs.

Golden State Warriors podcast with Joe Hawkes Beamon: Timing couldn’t be any better for Dubs setting record on last day of season

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

On the Golden State Warriors podcast with Joe Hawkes Beamon the Warriors timing couldn’t have been any better with one game left on the regular schedule and a home game at that the Warriors are on the brink of breaking the coveted all time winning record held by the 1995-96 Chicago Bulls. The Warriors play the Memphis Grizzlies for the second time in as many days as five.

The last time the two clubs met they played a razor close game with getting by with a 100-99 victory avoiding losing the record. The Sunday was razor close from the stand point that Golden State had to come back and erase a deficit but defeated the San Antonio Spurs for the Spurs loss at home this season 92-86. A Warriors win will not only mean getting the winningest record of all time but they’ll pick up their fourth straight win.

Joe Hawkes Beamon covers all the latest on the Warriors click below for the podcast at http://www.sportsradioservice.com Joe is filling in for David Zizmor who will be back for the Warriors playoffs

Warriors Tie Bulls’ Record On Historic Night In San Antonio

Published on by bentleonard18Leave a comment

By Ben Leonard

//

AP photo: Golden State Warriors Stephen Curry applauds as the Warriors tie the all time winning record of the Chicago Bulls on Sunday in San Antonio

Just when you want to stop believing in the Warriors, they jump right back up off the mat. After a shaky stretch in which it seemed hopes of breaking the ’95-’96 Bulls record were all but lost, the Warriors brought themselves right back up to championship form, doing something they hadn’t done since 1997, beat the Spurs in San Antonio.

With a commanding 92-86 win, Stephen Curry and the Warriors (72-9) tied the NBA record for wins in a single season. Now, all that remains in the Warriors’ way to breaking the record is a home game against the Memphis Grizzlies on Wednesday night.

They seem ready to do it — with the record in sight, nothing seems like an obstacle for the Warriors. San Antonio hadn’t lost at home in 48 games, but that didn’t phase the Warriors.

They had perhaps their best defensive first half of the season against one of the league’s best offenses, holding San Antonio to just 35 points on a measly 29 percent shooting from the field. Sure, Tim Duncan was out for rest, but the Warriors still had to grapple with Kawhi Leonard and LaMarcus Aldridge, who scored 20 and 24 points, respectively.

It wasn’t all fun and games in the beginning for Golden State, which struggled on offense in the early going, scoring just 14 points in the first quarter. But once Curry turned it on, it was in the books. In just 35 minutes, he scored 37 points, 26 of which came in the second half. The bench did well to keep Golden State in the lead while Curry rested for the first seven minutes of the fourth, and then Curry provided the separation.

The mantra used to be not to bet against the Spurs, but the Warriors have flipped that script. Bet against Golden State at your own risk.

Kings win final game in Sleep Train/ARCO Arena 114-112 over OKC

Published on by Charlie O. MalloneeLeave a comment

IMG_2789

by Charlie O. Mallonee

SACRAMENTO–On a night that felt more like a Hollywood awards show than a basketball game, the Sacramento Kings pulled off a storybook ending to close out their 2015-16 home schedule and to end their 28-year stay in Sleep Train/ARCO Arena.

The Kings defeated the Oklahoma City Thunder 114-112 in front of a raucous, adoring sellout crowd that desperately wanted the team’s final game in the old building to be a victory. The crowd did its part. They were loud and into the game from the opening tip-off right up to the final buzzer.

The Kings did their job. They played the very talented Oklahoma City Thunder in a tough, physical manner that was worthy of a heavyweight boxing match. Every time the Thunder threw a punch, the Kings returned a punch. The Kings kept the game close then took the lead and fought back each time they lost the lead. There were 12 lead changes and the game was tied 12 times.

The game came down to the free throw shooting of Rudy Gay. Gay went to the free throw line three times in the final 17.4-seconds. He made 4-0f-6 chances from the charity stripe. None more important than the final shot with one second left to go in the game that made it a two-point game and gave the win to the Kings.

The game appeared to be headed to overtime when James Anderson fouled Russell Westbrook as he went into the act of shooting from behind the 3-point line. Westbrook stepped to the line and converted all three free throws to tie the game at 112-112 before Gay was fouled and put the game on ice for Sacramento.

This was the 32nd win of the season for the Kings. Their home record for the season will be 18-23. The win also allowed the Kings to finish the season 2-2 versus the Thunder. Sacramento won once in Oklahoma City and once at home.

Kings

 The player of the night for the Kings was guard Darren Collison. Collison was the team’s leading scorer with 27 points. He also dished out eight assists and grabbed five rebounds. Collison shot 10-for-16 from floor and was 4-for-6 from 3-point range. He ran the point and found ways to score in his 36-minutes of playing time.

The other standout player for Sacramento was Seth Curry. Curry finished the game with 20 points and three assists. He lit up the night from beyond the 3-point line hitting on 6-of-10 chances. Curry’s shooting kept the Kings in the game early and allowed Sacramento to keep the game close.

George Karl gave the game ball to Collison and Curry.

Rudy Gay finished the game with 24 points. Gay was 9-for-19 shooting and was a dismal 1-for-6 from 3-point range. He was 5-for-7 from the free throw where he ultimately won the game for his team. Gay also led the Kings in playing time with almost 38 minutes.

DeMarcus Cousins scored 15 points and hauled in seven rebounds. Cousins had a frustrating night shooting finishing 7-for-24 from the field. The Kings big man played in foul trouble throughout most of the game. He picked up three personals in the first half and three more in the second half. Cousins fouled out the game with 3:26 left to play.

The Kings had additional scoring from Kosta Koufos (8), Quincy Acy (7), James Anderson (5), Willie Cauley-Stein (4) and Ben McLemore (4).

Sacramento shot 47.9-percent (45-for-94) from the field. They were an impressive 13-for-32 (40.6-percent) from behind the 3-point line. The Kings struggled from the free throw line converting only 11-of-20 (55.0-percent) from the stripe.The Kings took good care of the basketball committing just 11 turnovers while dishing out 22 assists to reach the goal of a 2-to-1 ratio.

Thunder

 Kevin Durant led the Thunder in scoring putting up 31 points. Durant distributed eight assists and had six rebounds in his game-high 39-minutes of playing time.

Russell Westbrook had a double-double game scoring 24 points and dishing out 10 assists. Westbrook had trouble taking care of the ball as he turned it over a game-high eight times.

Serge Ibaka added 14 points and Enes Kanter scored 11 points for OKC.

The Thunder shot 48.1-percent (39-for-81) from the floor and hit on 13-of-32 (40.6-percent) beyond the 3-point line. Turnovers were a problem for OKC as their committed 21 in the game.

Oklahoma City is now 54-26 on the season. Their road record falls to 23-17.

What they had to say after the game

 “First thing I wrote in my notes is we’re playing a playoff team that will have a playoff atmosphere because of the historical event,” said Kings head coach George Karl. “I don’t think anyone was disappointed with what happened. The building had energy to it from the very beginning. It helped us. We rode the wave of the crowd and the energy.”

“Fans are incredible. Fans are first class, style, loyal, committed and next year they get a fantastic new building that hopefully will have more playoff games, rather than just regular season nice wins. Let’s have some playoff nice wins,” added Karl.

First class night

 As an organization, the Kings have faced a great deal of criticism this season and much of it has been deserved. On Saturday night, the Kings proved they know how to produce a big event and pull it off with class and grace.

The Kings paid tribute to fans and the players of the past 28 years that have filled Sleep Train/ARCO Arena with emotion and excellence.

Reggie Theus, who scored the first two points in the arena, praised the Kings for the way they have reached out and included the players from the past in the celebration of basketball in Sacramento.

The Kings front office made it a night to remember for the fans attending the final game in Sleep Train/ARCO Arena. The team and the way they won made it night to never forget.

 

Warriors Keep Record Dreams Alive, Complete Comeback Against Memphis With 100-99 Victory

Published on by swhelchLeave a comment

By Shawn Whelchel

Draymond Green was candid about his desire to chase history this week when asked about breaking the Chicago Bulls’ record for most wins in a season.

On Saturday, he showed just how serious he was with big plays down the stretch on both ends of the court to secure a hard-fought 100-99 win against the Memphis Grizzlies on the road.

After being down by double digits at multiple points throughout the dwindling fourth quarter, Green would answer the call for the struggling Warriors with a pair of consecutive and-1’s to cut into Memphis’ lead. Green’s presence would be felt again with a tip in off a Steph Curry layup to give the Warriors a one point advantage with just a minute to go, which would ultimately be the difference in the game.

But perhaps just as important as his offensive contributions was Green’s defensive efforts in keeping big-man Zach Randolph from scoring on the Warriors late in the game. Green forced two clutch misses from Randolph late in the game while disallowing Memphis to rely on their biggest scoring threat with the game on the line.

The efforts by Green erased what was at times a 10-point deficit for a Warriors team struggling to find the long-ball that is crucial to their success. Golden State shot just 10-for-36 from the field from beyond the arc on the night, with Curry failing to connect on a three-pointer in the first half.

But with a chance at history on the line, Golden State rose to the occasion with three’s from Curry, Andre Iguodala and Harrison Barnes- whose shot would give the Warriors their first lead of the fourth quarter with just over 90 seconds left in the game.

Lance Stephenson had a chance to win the game for Memphis on a wild drive to the hoop against Klay Thompson, but help from Curry caused an errant layup to be tipped out to the corner, where Stephenson would hoist up a final hail mary shot that would bounce off the side of the hoop to go out of bounds with .8 of a second left, securing the win for Golden State on an inbound pass.

The difference in the game was the play of Memphis’ bench, who would outscore the Golden State reserves by 32-17. The Warriors also found themselves on the other end of the free-throw differential, with Memphis getting to the line for 18 points compared to their 12.

But despite the balanced scoring attack throughout the Memphis lineup, strong nights from the Warriors’ starters in Green (23 points, 11 rebounds), Thompson(20 points), Curry (17 points, 9 rebounds, 8 assists) and Barnes (14 points) saved what was a lackluster effort through three quarters for Golden State.

Matt Barnes would lead the scoring for the Grizzlies with 24 points on 17 shots, followed by Vince Carter with 15 points Stephenson with 13 of his own.

The win, which gave them their 71st of the season, was a record in its own right, as the 33 road wins ties the Bulls record for road victories in a single season. Golden State has one chance to claim sole possession of that record with their final road game of the season against the San Antonio Spurs on Sunday.

Golden State Warriors Thursday game wrap: Reaction From Steve Kerr — Warriors Clinch West, But Will They Rest Players?

Published on by bentleonard18Leave a comment

By Ben Leonard

AP photo: The Golden State Warriors Stephen Curry goes for a lay up on the San Antonio Spurs Manu Ginobili (20) at Oracle Arena Thursday night

It wasn’t always pretty, but the Warriors (70-9) found a way to grit through early struggles to topple the San Antonio Spurs (65-13) and claim the Western Conference title with a 112-101 victory. In the process, they became only the second team in NBA history to reach the 70-win plateau.

In the early going, it didn’t seem too promising — Draymond Green got into foul trouble and the Warriors’ offense stalled, scoring just six points in the first six minutes. After a crushing loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves on Tuesday, Golden State’s prospects of setting the all-time NBA wins record seemed grim.

But as they usually do, the Warriors found a way to kick it into another gear. Stephen Curry led the way for Golden State with 27 points, Harrison Barnes continued his offensive resurgence with 21 points, and Green dropped 18 to help the Warriors’ offense come back to life.

Now, with three games remaining and the West in the Warriors’ hands, the question becomes whether or not to sit the Warriors’ regulars to rest them for the playoffs. Resting them would also imply a wish to prevent a potentially catastrophic injury to one of the Warriors’ key players, but Warriors’ head coach refutes that notion: “It’s not that I’m worried about injury,” Kerr said in his press conference streamed on KNBR. “You can get injured in practice. It’s not so much that I want to get guys to avoid an injury, but that we have a back-to-back and three games in four nights [to close the season].”

Kerr has largely left the decision up to the players, who will convene tomorrow with the coaching staff to discuss the issue. He hasn’t decided yet, but given his players’ health and ability to recover, he seems to be leaning toward gunning for the record:

“The good news for us is that the guys that need rest have gotten rest — [Andrew] Bogut, Andre [Igoudala], Shaun Livingston — and the rest of our core recovers pretty quickly,” Kerr said. “I’m not sure that they actually need a rest physically, but maybe a break mentally would do them some good. I’m pretty sure we’re not going to be in this position next year — you can’t keep winning at this level. It’s a unique situation to be in this position, and most of our guys really want to do this.”

If they want to break the ’95-’96 Bulls’ high water mark of 72 wins, they have to win all of their remaining three games: Saturday in Memphis, Sunday in San Antonio, and the season finale at home against Memphis. Golden State has won its meetings with Memphis by an average of 33 points this season, while they dropped their only game in San Antonio this season, a city in which they haven’t won since 1997. In short, the Warriors will have to overcome history if they want to make history. But as we’ve seen all season long, they’ve got it in them.

 

Sacramento Kings Thursday game wrap: Kings Lose 4th in a Row

Published on by tonyrenteriaLeave a comment

by Tony Renteria

AP photo: The Minnesota Timberwolves Gorgui Dieng (5) takes it to the hoop over the Sacramento Kings Quincy Acy (13) on Thursday at Sleep Train Arena

SACRAMENTO–The lost season of the Sacramento Kings (31-47) continues as they fall again to a less talented but more enthused Minnesota Timberwolves (26-52) 105-97.  The Kings faced a team that had just defeated the Golden State Warriors and fell just as they did.   In the second to last home game in Sleep Train Arena once again the Kings filled a stat sheet with every thing but a win.

Once again the Kings fan were in dismay and confusion as star player DeMarcus Cousins was a late scratch due to rest.   Rajon Rondo also sat the game under the same category.  As the revolt against head coach George Karl seems to be getting worse by the day, the season can not come to an end soon enough.

Fans are looking forward to a new arena in the fall but more importantly they are looking forward to team that hustles up and down the court and wants to win.  It seems the game playing between Karl and his star players have made fans apathetic to the record of the team.

As a town that was only recently rebounded from the financial crisis that plagued the country the season ticket holders are feeling like they had been duped by the inside fighting between the Head Coach and the team.  They feel as though what should have been a playoff run has turned into a soap opera of epidemic proportions.

The Timberwolves have sweep the series 4-0 and the fans have been left feeling empty.   The Kings face the Thundar on Saturday in the last home game ever in the old Arco Arena.  Hopefully the team can patch it together for four quarters and bring a sense of closure to a fan base that has been nothing but fiercely loyal for over 30 years.

Kings forget how to box out in loss at home

Published on by Michael MartinezLeave a comment

by Michael Martinez

picture credit Luke Cheng/Getty Images

SACRAMENTO- The Kings were down five players tonight. Omri Casspi and Marco Belinelli were out because of injury while Rudy Gay, Kosta Kofous and Darren Collison sat on the sideline just to rest. This might have played a factor in the loss tonight as Sacramento was out hustled and out rebounded.

The Kings’ biggest fault in tonight’s game was giving up offensive rebounds and way too many second chance opportunities. Portland score 26 second chance points and had 19 offensive rebounds. Somehow, the Kings lost while shooting over 50% in the game.

DeMarcus Cousins started off the game and dominated with 18 first half points. Cousins finished the game with 30 points to tie Mitch Richmond for the most 30 point games in a season with 26.

Rajon Rondo had a huge night himself with his sixth triple double of the season to set the all time Sacramento record. Rondo recorded a season high 27 points, 12 assists and 10 boards. However, the big nights from the Kings top players was just not enough. Even though the Blazers made less field goals than Sacramento, they made nine more free throws. Portland gave themselves way more opportunities than the Kings to score on the offensive end and yet again Sacramento’s defense was below par.

Not to mention, the Kings turned the ball over 19 times, which led to 24 points in Portland’s favor. As the final buzzer sounded, Portland won 115-107.

The Kings gave a pretty good effort against the playoff bound Blazers and even cut the lead down to one with plenty of time left in the fourth quarter. The Kings got themselves in trouble thanks to a Cousins’ technical foul, his 17 of the season, as well as a tech on Quincy Acy.

On an inbounds pass, Acy pointed from the bench and the ball hit his hand causing interference and a technical.

Portland’s Maurice Harkless played a huge role in the Blazers’ win with a great second half. Harkless scored all of his 20 points in the second half. The Kings were up 57-51 at the half, meaning Harkless half was pivotal to the win. Damian Lilliard added 20 for the game.

CJ McCollum, who was once on the Kings draft radar, had a game high 30 points going 11-20 from the field and 5-10 from behind the arc. McCollum continues to improve and solidify him and Lilliard’s case as one of the best starting backcourts.

Sacramento will take on the Minnesota Timberwolves on Thursday at 7 p.m. Minnesota just defeated the Golden State Warriors tonight. The Kings will played their second to last game ever at Sleep Train Arena and hopefully they can get a couple more wins in the historical arena.

Warriors Upset By Timberwolves — Record In Jeopardy

Published on by bentleonard18Leave a comment

By Ben Leonard

//

photo credit San Francisco Chronicle: Golden State Warriors Klay Thompson knows it’s foregone conclusion in the closing seconds of Golden State’s ninth loss

The Warriors’ quest for the NBA all-time wins record just took a major blow. Just when you’d have thought the Warriors (69-9) would have stood up strong, they fell flat on their faces in a crushing 124-117 loss to the lowly Minnesota Timberwolves (26-52).

Coming into Tuesday, Golden State had to win just four out of its five remaining games to break the ’95-’96 Bulls’ record of 72 wins, but after the loss are faced with the task of winning out to shatter the mark. Phenom Andrew Wiggins lead the way for Minnesota, scoring 32 points on 11 of 19 shooting and forcing 6 steals.

It most disheartening thing for Golden State was that it seemed like the Warriors were going to roll over the Timberwolves and coast to a relatively easy win. They had an nine point lead heading into the second half, a position in which they’ve thrived.

Stephen Curry was facilitating the offense, scoring just two points in the first but dishing out 10 assists, many of them to Harrison Barnes, who had 18 points in the first. They reversed roles in the second half, as Curry finished with 21 and Barnes with 20, but it wasn’t enough in the end.

The Timberwolves proceeded to take over in the fourth quarter, making the Warriors fold in a close game, not something that they’ve often done. Heading into Saturday, they had won 12 of 14 games decided by 5 points or less — now it’s 12 of 15. Minnesota dominated overtime and the fourth, outscoring Golden State by a combined fifteen points.

Now the Warriors are faced with the tall task of beating the Spurs — and the Grizzlies — twice if they want to officially become the best team in NBA history. Yes, it was a classic trap game, with San Antonio next on the slate, but they’re going to have to take it up a notch. Or three.