Category: NBA

Sacramento Kings podcast with Charlie O: Kings riding a lot of highs and lows but loved winning in OKC

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

by Charlie O Mallonee

SACRAMENTO–The Sacramento Kings enjoyed a victory in Oklahoma City for a change getting a healthy victory there on Monday night 116-104. There was a low too when the Kings lost to the Philadelphia 76ers last week. The Sixers came into that game looking like a team on fire.

The Sixers came in and played tough defense they kept Cousins from being the unbelievable force that he could be and Philadelphia came out with a 110-105 victory. At that moment I knew what was going to happen on Saturday afternoon when the Phoenix Suns came to town because whatever team came out against the Suns was the team we were going to see for the rest of the season.

The Kings game in OKC saw the Thunder’s Kevin Durant out with an injury so the Thunder were playing with one hand tied behind their back. Cousins took high advantage of that rebounding a season high 19 and scoring 33 points.

Charlie O is a beat writer covering Kings basketball listen to his podcast below and every week at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

 

Kings Win on the Road Again

Published on by tonyrenteriaLeave a comment

By Tony Renteria

photo credit: USA Today DeMarcus Cousins scored 33 points on Monday night vs. OKC

OKLAHOMA CITY–The Sacramento Kings are starting to do the one thing they could not do all season, they are winning basketball games on the road, they went into Oklahoma City beating the home Thunder 116-104.

The Thunder played with out Kevin Durant who sat out with a sprained big toe on his right foot.   This opened up the way for De Marcus Cousins to get a seasoned high 19 rebounds to go along with his 33 points.

The Kings who have suffered with sub pat third quarter play took a small lead into the second half and extended that lead by setting the tone in the third quarter by out pacing with Thunder 22-16 to start the second half. They held on in the fourth quarter to get the road win.

The Thunder were led by Serge Ibaka who scored 25 points for the home team. Russell Westbrook scored 17 and played over 41 minutes trying to keep pace with an energetic Rajon Rondo who had 19 assists.

The Kings continue the Texas swing by heading to Dallas Tuesday night and the Thunder stay home Wednesday to host the Grizzlies.

 

 

The Warriors swat the Charlotte Hornets, 35th straight win at home.

Published on by rxsluggerLeave a comment

 

by Jerry Feitelberg

The Golden State Warriors defeated the Charlotte Hornets at the Oracle Arena Monday night by a score of 111-101. The game was marked by the return of forward Harrison Barnes, Steph Curry and Brandon Rush. Barnes missed sixteen since injuring his ankle in Phoenix on November 27th. Curry left Saturday night’s game as his left ankle was bothering him. Curry returned with ankle braces on both legs for the Charlotte game. Rush missed the Saturday game with an undisclosed illness.

The Warriors took an early 10-4 lead in the first period. Curry hit a three-pointer to get the lead for the Dubs. For Curry, it was the 105th straight game that he made a three-point shot that is second all-time in the NBA. The Hornets came back and had a one-point advantage with a 13-12 lead with a little over seven minutes left in the period. The Dubs went ahead 17-13 but Charlotte went on a 7-0 run to put them ahead 20-17. Golden State responded by tying the game at twenty. With 2:11 left. Harrison Barnes entered the game, and the Dubs went on a 15-4 run to give them an eight-point advantage after one period of play 32-24.

The Dubs and the Hornets each scored thirty points in the second period. The Dubs continued to lead by eight 62-54. One of the key plays in the period was a fantastic lob pass from Draymond Green that Andrew Bogut converted for a two-point play. Key players for Charlotte in the first half were Kemba Walker with fourteen points, Jeremy Lamb with twelve of the bench and Brian Roberts with nine. For Golden State, Klay Thompson had eighteen, Steph Curry fourteen, Mo Speights Nine and Harrison Barnes with six. Charlette shot 48.8% from the floor while the Warriors shot 58.1% and were nine for nineteen making threes.

In the third period, the Hornets rallied to cut the Dubs’ lead to one 66-65. Klay scored the next five points up the lead to 71-65. The Dubs continued a 12-0 run to go ahead 78-65. Steph and Brandon Rush each hit a three-point shot and Golden State now had a fifteen-point lead. The third period ended with Golden State ahead 95-77.

The Hornets made a run in the fourth period. They held the Dubs scoreless for over four minutes and closed the gap to nine, but coach Luke Walton put Draymond, Steph, and Bogut back in the game to seal the win. With 5:31 left, Draymond fed Steph, who converted and Draymond had his third straight triple-double. He became the first Warrior to accomplish this since Tom Gola did it in 1960. The Hornets were toast as the Dubs won their 32nd game of the year 111-101.

Game Notes- The Warriors improved to 32-2 for the season while Charlotte’s record dropped to 17-17. The Warriors were led by Steph and Klay. Each had 30 points. Draymond had 13 points, ten assists, and 15 rebounds. Mo Speights added 15. Brandon Rush had 10, and Harrison Barnes finished with 8. Charlotte scorers were Kemba Walker with 20, Jeremy Lin 13 and Jeremy Lamb 22.

The Warriors meet the LA Lakers at the Staples Center Tuesday night in Los Angeles.

 

 

Warriors lose in Dallas without Curry

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

By Daniel Dullum
Sports Radio Service
Wednesday, Dec. 30, 2015

photo credit: USA Today Stephen Curry Golden State Warriors

With Stephen Curry – the NBA’s leading scorer – sidelined with a leg injury, the Dallas Mavericks had their way on Wednesday, handing the Golden State Warriors their second loss of the season, winning 114-91 at American Airlines Center in Dallas.

J.J. Barea, filling in for injured point guard Deron Williams, canned 23 points for the Mavs. Draymond Green and Klay Thompson scored 11 and 10 points, respectively, for the Warriors, who dropped to 29-2.

Zaza Pachulia sparked Dallas with 14 points and 15 rebounds as the Mavericks won their fourth straight game. Dirk Nowitzki contributed 18 points and eight rebounds for the Mavs.

Golden State fell behind for good four minutes into the game. Dallas built a 75-49 lead midway through the third quarter, and took an 83-53 lead on Wesley Matthews’ 3-pointer. The Warriors never got any closer than 17 points.

Interim coach Luke Walton cleared the bench for the final five minutes in the Warriors’ third straight loss without Curry. The first two occurred last season.

Curry isn’t the only Warrior on the shelf. Center Festus Ezeli is out with a toe injury, reserve guard Leandro Barbosa has a sprained left shoulder and forward Harrison Barnes, nursing a sprained left ankle, didn’t make the trip to Texas. Coach Steve Kerr, on the DL all season with complications from back surgery, made the trip to see how his sore back would hold up. Kerr made a similar trip to Los Angeles in November. Walton said there is no timetable for Kerr’s return to the bench.

The Warriors will try to return to the win column Thursday at Houston.

Kings looking for answers after loss, 110-105, to NBA’s worst team

Published on by Michael MartinezLeave a comment

by Michael Martinez

Picture credit Michael Tipton, Flickr

SACRAMENTO- The Kings have put themselves in an tough position as they find themselves on a 3 game losing streak after tonight’s loss. To add insult to injury, the Kings lost to the NBA’s worst team, the Philadelphia 76ers, who are now 3-31 on the season. The Kings played painfully careless with the ball as everyone watched them turn the ball over 22 times. The team also forgot how to box out their opponents, allowing the Sixers to grab 16 offensive boards. Marco Belinelli was the only bright spot for the Kings tonight as he started to find his stroke, but missed free throws and missed opportunities cost the team. The Sixers out hustled and out played the Kings leading to another Sacramento loss, 110-105, at Sleep Train Arena.

The Kings set the tone for the game in the 1st quarter on their first possession with a turnover, 6 in the quarter. Their defense also looked pretty poor as they started the game, but DeMarcus Cousins scored 8 points early on and 11 in the quarter, shooting 4/6 from the field. Belinelli checked in and scored 4 quick points. Marco finished the quarter with 8 points, going 4/5 from the field. His shot looked good early and the Kings were setting good off ball screens to get him open. Rajon Rondo did a good job of dropping dimes with 7 assists in the quarter. The Kings shot 60% for the quarter, but allowed the Sixers to grab 7 offensive boards. With the 1st quarter in the books, the Kings held a one point lead over Philly, 31-30.

In the 2nd quarter, the Kings showed much of the same. The Sixers looked like they wanted to be out there, while the Kings did a bad job of getting back in transition on the defensive end. The Kings continued to forget how to box out their opponent as the Sixers grabbed 4 more offensive rebounds in the 2nd. Belinelli was still the only bright spot, scoring 8 points in the 2nd on 3-5 shooting, 2-3 from behind the arc. Belinelli finished the half with 16 points. No other Kings player scored more than 5 points in the 2nd and even though they shot the ball well again, the turnovers caught up to them. The team turned the ball over 6 more times in the 2nd. Nerlens Noel had a solid quarter for the Sixers with 8 points in the quarter and 14 for the half. Although the team shot 55%, the Kings gave up 36 points in the paint and let Philly have way too many easy buckets. The Kings only totaled 22 points in the paint, where they usually thrive. With the first half finished, the Kings and Sixers were tied up at 57.

As the Kings headed out to start the 2nd half, the team needed more intensity, but there was none. The Sixers came out on an 8-2 run and Sacramento continued to turn the ball over, 7 turnovers in the 3rd. Both teams shot at 40%, but the Sixers found their 3 point shot. Philadelphia went 5-10 from downtown. The Kings were able to find a couple 3’s of their own and found some offense. The team cut the Philly lead to 75-71 with 6:30 remaining in the quarter, but the Sixers found a way to keep up their offense. The Kings had terrible shot selection and seemed to forget to get the ball down low to Cousins. Jerami Grant put up 9 points for the Sixers in the quarter, 2-2 from behind the 3 point line, 3/4 from the charity stripe. As the 3rd quarter ended, the Kings found themselves down, 85-81, to a team that has lost as many games as the Kings have played.

The 4th quarter got started with a fast break pass up court from Darren Collison to Belinelli who got fouled but could not convert the 3 point play. Luckily, the Kings only turned the ball over 3 times in the quarter, but they could not find much offense. Belinelli once again found his stroke, 4-7 from the field, adding 12 points for a total of 28. The Kings free throw shooting caught up to them again, going 8-15 from the line in the 4th. The Kings went 25/41 from the line, an atrocious 61%. The Kings smaller line up really hurt them throughout, giving up 4 more offensive rebounds in the 4th. The Kings had little ball movement and a lot of players were trying to play through themselves. Noel had an easy alley-oop as the Sixers constantly found easy shots at the basket and around the perimeter. The holes in the Kings defense hurt them all night who allowed Philly to score 110 points while their season average is 92 points per game. The frustration of the team showed and Cousins eventually fouled out on a poor call by the refs. Cousins frustrations showed all night as he got pretty banged up, but he kept his composure to an extent.

George Karl said “My feeling is we have too many offensive players and not too many defensive players.”

The team needs to start playing with more togetherness, especially on transition defense. The Kings took a bad loss, 110-105, as boos showered the arena and fans took off early.

Tonight’s loss to the Sixers is a big blow for the Kings. After the win against Indiana, the Kings looked to be in the drivers seat, only a game out of the 8th seed. While the playoff seeding is not important at this time, the idea is a boost of confidence for a team looking to please its fans. But the Kings dropped another one at home to Portland and then lost to a Golden State team who can suck the life right out of you. The Kings looked not to take the young Sixers team seriously and were completely outplayed. Coach Karl’s frustration showed and the Kings need some sort of change. Belinelli was a great spark off the bench, scoring a season high of 28, but the team needs to play more together. A lot of players are looking to play through themselves and the lack of team chemistry is alarming. With 3 straight losses, 2 at home, the Kings might need to look to switch things up. The loss of Willie Cauley-Stein is catching up to the team who plays little defense and cannot get defensive boards.

Karl preached the importance of defense again when he said “We play best when we play defense.”

The Kings are 2 game out of the 8th seed, which just goes to show how open the last couple of seeds are. But the Kings need to worry less about the playoffs and focus on winning now. The Kings (12-19)  will take on the Phoenix Suns (12-22) this Saturday at Sleep Train Arena. Ironically, the Suns also added a victory to the Sixers record. Saturday will show if this team has the heart to move past this loss and get back to winning.

Sacramento Kings podcast with Charlie O: Kings Cousins kicks up a fuss as Kings are overwhelmed by W’s

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

by Charlie O

photo credit: yardbarker.com  Sacramento Kings DeMarcus Cousins starts after officials after being kicked out of Monday’s game in Oakland

SACRAMENTO–Things didn’t go particularly well for the Sacramento Kings in the first quarter of Monday Night’s game at the Oakland Coliseum Arena or Oracle because Rajon Rondo of the Kings picked up three fouls and DeMarcus Cousins picked up three fouls.

Kings head coach George Karl thought it was a terribly officiated game and that’s going to cost Karl a little lighter in the pocket right there at $15,000. Coach Karl felt the officiating was horrible that aside the situation was such that the Kings had to work without Cousins all the way through the second quarter.

Then in the third quarter the Kings came out and they were excited because they had a one point lead and had a small lead to start off the third quarter and Cousins picked up a quick fourth foul and then he picked up a fifth foul that was just a silly foul that was on him as he reached out and wound up hitting Stephen Curry in the chest and Cousins picked up that foul and went ballistic.

So the officials teed him up and at that point Cousins has to think, “I got a T, I got a reputation I need to back up” Oh no he starts charging at the referees and he gets kicked out of the game after getting the second T and didn’t have the good sense to leave the court he has to be restrained by two players and a coach and finally after yelling and screaming at the top of his lungs he finally charges out of the arena.

To hear more of Charlie’s coverage of Kings basketball podcast click below and every week right here at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

 

Sacramento Kings Monday night game recap: Kings can’t maintain first half momentum

Published on by jeremy2878Leave a comment

 

By Jeremy Harness

OAKLAND–The Golden State Warriors gave the Kings a great chance to win Monday night, but that when the real Warriors eventually showed up, the Kings simply could not keep up.

Sacramento could not take advantage of a big night from Omri Casspi, and they ended up on the wrong end of a 122-103 beating at the hands of the Warriors at Oracle Arena.

In the early going, the Kings took advantage of some very sloppy basketball on the part of the Warriors, who committed highly-uncharacteristic turnovers and missed a high amount of shots that they usually knock down, while grabbing the lead for a great deal of the first half.

To do that, the Kings turned 18 Warriors turnovers into 21 points.

Sacramento did all of this despite the fact the DeMarcus Cousins committing three fouls in the first quarter alone and being forced to the bench.

That opened the door for Casspi, who caught fire and put the Kings in a great spot with a 20-point second quarter and making all of his seven shots, including six from behind the 3-point arc.

Casspi, meanwhile, finished the game with a career-high 34 points.

However, that seemed to ignite a scuffling Stephen Curry, who missed his first six shots of the game but scored 17 points in the final 3:16 of the second quarter to narrow the Kings’ lead to three.

While the Warriors slowly returned to its championship form, the Kings began to implode, starting from the first few minutes of the second half. At the point, Cousins picked up his fifth foul and was quickly whistled for a technical.

As he was given that infraction, he then went after one of the referees before being held back by Rudy Gay. Cousins was then hit with his second technical and an early trip to the locker room.

From that point, the Kings were suffocated by the Warriors’ improving defense, and they struggled to find open looks, and Golden State eventually got their transition game going, which they used to break the game open.

 

The Warriors continue their winning ways, down the Jazz

Published on by rxsluggerLeave a comment

by Jerry Feitelberg

Image result for klay thompson

photo by Google images

The Golden State Warriors won their 31st straight home game in a row by beating the Utah Jazz 103-85 Wednesday night at a sold-out Oracle Arena. The Dubs did not play an A-game on offense, but their defense was outstanding as they challenged the Jazz on every shot. The Dubs took an early 13-9 lead in the first period and never relinquished the lead. The Defense held the Jazz to just thirteen points in the first period. The Dubs defense forced six Jazz turnovers, and the Dubs scored eight points on fast breaks.  The Dubs lead 23-13 after one period of play.

The Jazz played better in the second period as they outscored the Dubs 27-24 and trailed by nine at the half. Klay Thompson led the Warrior scoring with ten points. Steph Curry added nine. Draymond Green pitched in with eight. The Warriors shot 45.2% from the floor. The Jazz was held to 38.5% Jeff Withey and Rod Hood each had seven points to lead the Jazz in scoring. Gordon Hayward pitched in with six for Utah.

In the third period, the Dubs kept the pressure on the Jazz and were able to extend the lead to fifteen at the end of three.  The Jazz tried to get back into the game but the Warriors defense kept them at bay. The Jazz narrowed the gap to ten but interim coach, Like Walton, went small late in the period, and the Dubs increased the lead as they were able to play at a more upbeat pace. The Jazz like to slow the game down and keep the score low, but the Dubs were able to stifle that strategy.

Steph Curry started the fourth period on the bench as a Utah player hit on the back of his leg, and the Dubs didn’t want to take any chances that he might injure his leg. The Dubs led by ten with 6:03 left when Steph came back into the game. He played just three minutes, and when he exited, the Warriors led by seventeen. That was the game. Golden State wins 103-85.

Game Notes- The Warriors made history on two fronts with the win. The Dubs are 13-0 at home to start the season. This breaks the record of 12- 0 set by the 1975-76 Warriors. The Warriors 27-1  record to start a season is the best winning percentage in NBA history heading into Christmas Day.

Steph Curry numbers were 16 points, nine assists,  five rebounds and three steals. Klay Thompson led the Dubs in scoring with 20. Andrew Bogut had a huge game. He tallied 10 points, grabbed 13 rebounds and had four assists plus he blocked several shots. Draymond Green just missed a double-double as he had 15 points, nine rebounds, and six assists.

Derrick Favors led the Jazz with 17 points and nine rebounds. Rod Hood knocked down 15. Alec Burks and Trey Burke each added 13 points for Utah.

The Warriors meet the Cleveland Cavaliers on Friday, Christmass Day at 2 PM. The game will be a rematch of the two teams that met in the NBA Finals last June. The game will be on national TV.

 

 

 

Santa comes early: Kings hold on to defeat Pacers, 108-106.

Published on by Michael MartinezLeave a comment

by Michael Martinez

picture credit Google Images

After breaking down in the 4th quarter against the Washington Wizards this past Monday, the Kings looked to go .500 on their 4 game road trip. The Kings looked solid in the first half, but a dismal 3rd quarter performance by the team pushed momentum into the Indiana Pacers favor. The 4th quarter turned out to be a doozy and the Kings were able to close out the game, proving they are slowly figuring out how to finish albeit in ugly fashion. Although the Kings were a bit careless with the ball, the Kings picked up the win over the Pacers, 108-106. The Kings passed the ball well, out rebounded the Pacers and scored in the paint at will to pick up the victory.

With the 1st quarter underway, The Kings started the scoring with Rajon Rondo getting the ball inside to DeMarcus Cousins for a nice catch and finish. The team was a bit sloppy early on and that led to the Pacers going on a 10-4 run to start the game. The Kings regained the momentum, coming out of the time out and Rondo had a terrific quarter passing the ball. Rondo totaled 8 assists in the quarter and scored 9 points on 4-6 shooting. Rondo highlighted the quarter as he through a smooth bounce pass between 3 Pacers defenders to Ben McLemore for a lay up.  There was a scary moment in the quarter when Cousins fell on top of McLemore on the defensive end after contesting a shot, but both players continued to play. Rondo also had a sweet assist to Collison on a fast break opportunity. Rondo was the high scorer for the team who went 14-25 from the field, shooting 56%. The high percentage came off of 28 points in the paint to the Pacers 6. The Pacers stayed in the game thanks to George Hill who shot 4-6 from the field, 3-4 from 3 point range and totaled 11 points for the quarter high. The Kings did outscored the Pacers, 30-27, in the first quarter with Rondo filling up the stat sheet early on.

The 2nd quarter got underway with Marco Belinelli hitting a jumper. Darren Collison followed it up with a jumper of his own and Omri Casspi nailed a 3 pointer as the Kings went up by 8 early in the quarter. The Kings started doing a much better job on the defensive end by holding the Pacers to a shooting percentage of 34.8% and Collison had a terrific quarter off the bench. The Kings guard put up 13 points on 6-7 shooting. The guard finished the half with 15 points, 7-9 from the field, adding 2 assists. The Kings continued crashing the boards hard, with 18 rebounds in the quarter and 31 in the half. Big Cous attacked the hoop hard and went 5-6 from the charity strip, 3-6 from the field and had 11 points in the 2nd, 18 for the half with 12 rebounds. Rondo also had a double-double at the half, 11 points and 10 assists. After Cousins was called for a blocking foul which appeared to be a charge, Coach George Karl was visibly frustrated. Karl did not blow his top off until he saw Rudy Gay get sandwiched between two Pacers and not get a foul call. Karl picked up a technical foul but the tech was justifiable. The officiating was poor in the quarter and for most of the game. With great passing and ball movement, 16 assists in the half, the Kings were able to score with ease on the offensive end. With the first half over, the Kings led the Pacers by 15, 64-49.

After an awesome 2nd quarter and good first half, the Kings wanted to keep their offense flowing; however the Pacers seemed to find the Kings juju. The Kings played very poorly and only scored 20 points in the quarter. The Pacers got off to a 7-0 run to start the quarter. The Kings played very sloppy, turning the ball over 7 times and the Pacers took advantage. The Pacers scored 14 points off those turnovers. The team defense was being broken down and the Pacers got plenty of good looks leading to a 16-5 run in less than 4 minutes of play. After scoring in the paint with ease, the Kings lost control of the ball and only scored 12 points in the paint. Their defense suffered from their poor offense and the 3rd was incredibly forgettable for the team, although they shot 50%. The Pacers scored 33 in the quarter on 13-22 shooting. Rudy Gay had a team high in the quarter with 7 points, 15 in all 3. Rondo added 4 assists in the quarter, 13 points and 14 assists in the first 3 quarters but also 7 turnovers. Cousins had 23 points with 14 rebounds and Collison totaled 19. Luckily for the Kings, they out rebounded the Pacers, 40-29, and that helped them hold a 2 point lead to end the quarter. Monte Ellis and Hill helped cut the score in the quarter, with 17 and 18 points respectively through the 3 quarters. After 36 minutes the Kings stayed up, 84-82, over the Pacers after leading by 15 at the half.

After letting the Pacers get back into a game that the Kings thought they could easily win, the 4th quarter would be extremely important. Seth Curry started the quarter for Rondo and he gave a great defensive spark. On one defensive possession, Curry knocked the ball loose but came up short and swiped it away the second time. The steal led to Casspi picking it up, tossing it to Collison up ahead who got it back to Casspi for an alley-oop after Casspi filled the middle lane really well. The Kings started to get a little sloppy with the ball again and their turnovers helped the Pacers keep it close. CJ Miles hit a 3 in the quarter to cut the lead to 1, but Collison answered with a 3 of his own. The Kings left a lot of Pacers players open on defensive possessions including Ellis who hit a 3 pointer to give the Pacers their first lead since the 1st quarter. The Pacers went up by 2 but Gay came down the floor to hit a jumper of his own. Cousins then got to the line to give the Kings a 2 point lead with a minute left. The game really came down to the wire, but Paul George’s struggles helped the Kings close it out. George missed a shot that gave the Kings a chance to go up by 2 possessions, however the team could not capitalize. With 8 seconds left to play, the Pacers drew up a play to get the ball in George’s hands. George got a decent look, contested by Gay, that did not fall. The Kings prevailed over the Pacers, 108-106.  Casspi had a good 4th with 9 points in the quarter and the Kings shot well once again, 55.6%, 10-18 from the field. The team continued assisting the ball and finding a way to crash the boards as well to pull out a much needed victory.

The Kings 3 point shooting was non-existent in the game, 4-23 behind the arc, but the team found a way to win in big part to their passing and attacking of the rim. The team finished with 64 points in the paint, 49 rebounds and 28 assists. Collision was a huge boost off the bench with 24 points and 5 assists as he used his explosiveness to get good looks. Cousins had a tremendous game, 25 points and 16 rebounds as he helped the Kings on the glass. Gay finished with 17 points and Casspi added a double-double with 15 points and 11 rebounds. Rondo did not score in the 4th, finishing with 13 points but totaled 16 assists. Cousins and Rondo’s double-doubles were both their 14th of the season. The Kings finished with a 51.7% shooting percentage which is pretty impressive given they missed 19 three point attempts. The team closed out a game that should not have been close but the turnovers kept the Pacers in it.

As the night concluded, Rondo was the fastest player in the Sacramento era to reach 300 assists. Cousins is looking more like his early season self as he keeps his season scoring around 24-25 points per game. Big Cous has been dominant in the paint and the Kings are doing a great job of exploiting that on other teams. The Kings have dominated the paint against their opponents all season and Rondo’s elite passing ability has made them a huge offensive threat. The Kings need to take care of the ball more and close out on defenders as they have continuously given wide open shots to their opponents. The Kings gave fans an early Christmas present with the victory, even though they also almost gave everyone a heart attack as well. The Kings are now 12-17 and will take on the 11-20 Portland Trailblazers at home. For Christmas, all Kings fans want is for the team to continue winning and find their way into a playoff spot. Happy Holidays!

 

 

Sacramento Kings podcast with Charlie O: Kings string two wins together in last homestand looking to win in Indiana Wednesday

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

by Charlie O Mallonee

SACRAMENTO–The Kings had a short homestand against the Houston Rockets last Tuesday night and everybody was a little concerned the Rockets beat them up pretty good particularly in the fourth quarter at Sleep Train Arena. That was the game that followed immediately in Mexico City.

Houston came right up and Sacramento took a little different tact in this game and the Kings were going to let James Harden do his thing and the Kings were going to stop everybody else. Well it worked, Harden scored 33 but Dwight Howard had only four points in the ball game.

Howard had only four rebounds, the Kings concentrated on everybody else they held Houston to 41.5 percent shooting from the floor. They shot right at them for 31 percent for a three pointers and the Rockets the number one three point shooting team in the NBA. The Kings really came out on offense as four the five starters scored in double figures as the Kings beat the Rockets in that contest 107-97.

photo credit: firstandmonday.com Houston Rockets James Harden

Charlie updates you on everything Sacramento Kings on the podcast click below at http://www.sportsradioservice.com