Category: NBA

Thompson Scores Team High 26 – Warriors Beat Jazz 129-107

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Golden State Warriors Klay Thompson (11) and Stephen Curry (30) celebrate during a second half moment. Thompson went on to score a team high of 26 points against the Utah Jazz at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Mon Feb 12, 2024 (AP News photo)

By Barbara Mason

The Golden State Warriors (26-25) have been on a roll despite some quiet games from Klay Thompson. Tonight against the Utah Jazz (26-28), Thompson played a terrific game scoring the team high of 26 points. 

On top of that, Warriors guard Stephen Curry hit five 3’s in the fourth quarter. They did this all without Head Coach Steve Kerr who was in Serbia attending the funeral of assistant coach Dejan Milojevic. Every starter in this game scored double digits beating the Jazz 129-107. The team now boasts a season record of 26-25.

Game recap: The Jazz hung in this game throughout but just could not finish. They were able to tie the second quarter 29 apiece but Golden State took a 63-55 lead into the locker room at the half. Seven Warriors hit three’s in the opening quarter which was an amazing start for the team and set the tone for the game. The Jazz were able score on seven straight possessions in the first half but the Warriors erased their lead to go back in front.

Golden State continued this pace testing the Jazz’s new starting lineup. Utah had traded away Simone Fontecchio, Kelly Olynyk and Ochai Agbaji for draft assets down the road. The Warriors rendered this lineup ineffective. They went on to win the third quarter 30-25 and the final quarter 36-27 with the final 129-107 in favor of Golden State. The Warriors had won their fifth straight game.

This was a terrific game for the Warriors with every starter contributing double digits. Off the bench Jackson, Payton and Podziemski also scored double digits. Klay Thompson really came to life in this one scoring 26 points, the team high, and six rebounds. 

This was Thompson’s highest points scored since they played Chicago on January 12. Curry was right behind him with 25 points, six rebounds and ten assists. Jonathan Kuminga also reached a milestone with his 14 points being the 31st straight game in double figures for him.

Andrew Wiggins added 17 points and Draymond Green with 12 points. This was first time in a bit that every starter came to the party and it was flawless. The Warriors hit 20 three’s in this game and really protected the ball with only 13 turnovers.

Post game notes: Monday night the Warriors took on the Jazz in Utah. They had to play without a number of coaches in this game which included head coach Steve Kerr. They were all in Serbia attending the funeral of assistant coach Dejan Milojevic. 

Assistant coach Kenny Atkinson took over head coach duties. The Warriors won their fifth win in a row. The Warriors came into this game after a real thriller in Phoenix. Curry hit a three with .07 left on the clock to take a 113-112 lead which was the final last Saturday night to beat the Suns. 

The Warriors are looking forward to their next challenge when they head back to Chase Center to take on the Los Angeles Clippers (35-16). This will be a true test but considering how they played tonight, they are certainly up for the challenge. Tipoff for this game is scheduled for this Wednesday 7:00 PM.

  

Golden State Warriors podcast with Barbara Mason: Warriors head back to Utah for make up game and relive passing of coach Milojevic

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Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) takes a jump shot against the Phoenix Suns guard Devon Booker (right) in the second half at the Chase Center in San Francisco on Sat Feb 10, 2024 (AP News photo)

On the Golden State Warriors podcast with Barbara:

#1 You would have never know the Golden State Warriors were a tenth place team in the Western Conference as they won their fourth game in a row against the Phoenix Suns on Saturday night at the Chase Center in San Francisco.

#2 Warrior guard Stephen Curry hit a three point shot with 0.7 second left to get the Warriors past the Suns with a one point 113-112 win.

#3 The Suns are no easy task they have Kevin Durant who scored with 24 points and Devon Booker who led the Suns in scoring with 32 points. It was an effort but the Suns fell short.

#4 Barbara talk about how important Jonathan Kuminga has been for the Warriors 21 points finished second in scoring and behind Stephen Curry it’s hard to believe the Warriors could trade Kuminga if that’s possible?

#5 Warriors are in Salt Lake City against the Utah Jazz tonight at 6:00pm this was the site of the passing of assistant coach Dejan Milojevich who died after having dinner with the players and coaches on Jan 17th. This is a make up game as the Warriors were supposed to play the Jazz the next night. They might have to relive that moment a little bit as they head into Salt Lake City.

Join Barbara Mason for the Golden State Warriors podcasts each Monday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Kings Fall to Thunder In An Offensive Letdown 127-113; Alexander leads with 38 pts for OKC

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The Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) drives on the Sacramento Kings forward Keegan Murray (left) in the second half at the Paycom Center in Oklahoma City on Sun Feb 11, 2024 (AP News photo)

By Barbara Mason

The Sacramento Kings (30-22) fell to the Oklahoma City Thunder (36-17) Sunday afternoon. The Kings did not show up offensively or defensively. The Thunder could not be contained and scored at will winning this game 127-113.

First it was the Denver Nuggets taking on the Sacramento Kings Friday night and then Sunday Sacramento had their hands more than full in Oklahoma playing the red-hot Thunder at Paycom Center. The Kings had nicely taken care of the Nuggets Friday night winning that game 135-106. 

Two nights earlier, Sacramento lost to the worst team in basketball the Pistons, and then turned around and beat one of the best two night’s later. It was a crazy turn of events. It could well have been fatigue after the lengthy road trip they had just come off of. They may have taken this game too lightly looking ahead to the Nugget matchup. It just defies logic.  

The Thunder improve to third place in the Western Conference after their win over the Kings. The Kings drop to seventh place in the conference. The Thunder battle tested the Kings to a greater extent for the 14 point win then the Nuggets did.

Game recap: Sacramento hung tight in the opening quarter of the game trailing after the first twelve minutes 29-27. OKC got going in the second quarter leading at the half 69-57. The Kings were having a lot of trouble protecting the ball with 11 turnovers. 

Sacramento was also having trouble keeping up with the face pace that the Thunder had set.  It was a quiet half for Kevin Huerter and De’Aaron Fox. Domantas Sabonis was on the edge of yet another triple double with eight rebounds, nine assists and 12 points.

It all seemed to fall apart in the third quarter for Sacramento. They had a nice start with a shot from downtown and then suffered nine empty possessions. The Thunder could not be stopped scoring at will and taking the largest lead of the game 88-66 with 5:38 left in the quarter. 

The Sacramento offense had left the building and the Kings were desperate for stops which were not coming easily. There were glimpses of some nice offense from Sacramento but nothing on a consistent basis. 

OKC was sporting a 100-83 lead going into the fourth quarter. Without offense it would be a very long quarter of basketball for Sacramento. A 17 point lead with an entire quarter left in the game in most cases is surmountable but your offense has to join the party. 

The Kings went on a nice run erasing the Thunder’s 17 point lead to start the fourth quarter. Sacramento trailed by eight points with eight minutes left in the game. The Kings could not get anything going after the opening quarter.  

One bright spot in this game for Sacramento was the triple double from Sabonis. He He had 11 rebounds, 14 assists and 21 points. Malik Monk was the high for the game with 21 points. He had a terrific game off the bench.   

Tuesday night the Kings travel to Phoenix to take on the Suns in the Valley of the Sun. Tip off for this game is scheduled for 7:00 PM in yet another tough matchup.    

Curry Magic Spells Final Second Win For Golden State 113-112; Defeat Suns at Chase Center

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Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) hits a basket to put the Warriors ahead of the Phoenix Suns and guard Devon Booker (right) in the second half at Chase Center in San Francisco on Sat Feb 10, 2024 (AP News photo)

By Barbara Mason

Friday night Chase Center was rocking as the Golden State Warriors (25-25) took on the Phoenix Suns (31-21). With the clock running very close to empty, Warriors guard Stephen Curry pulled off yet another “miracle shot” hitting a 33-foot three point jumper for a 113-112 win. 

This game a was real see-saw affair with the Warriors hanging on for the win. The Curry shot could very easily be his shot of the year. This was another clutch game for the team and sent the Warrior’s record to the .500 mark (25-25).

This was a wild game from the very beginning to the very end. It was a see-saw game and after the first 12 minutes the Warriors were on top 33-28. The Suns took the second quarter 30-26 but trailed at halftime. The Warriors led by a single point after two quarters 59-58.

The battle continued into the third quarter with the Suns winning it by a single digit 25-24. The Warriors held onto the lead going into the fourth quarter 84-82. This was a real nail-biter but Golden State took it up another level in the final quarter of the game. 

The Suns took the fourth quarter by a single digit 30-29. Golden State hung onto this game winning by the score of 113-112. The fourth quarter in itself was exciting, but the manner in which it came to a close was a real barn burner. 

It all hinged on Curry and what he could do with 7.1 seconds left on the game clock. Time and time again this guy has come up clutch and this game was no exception-a 33-foot jumper for the win. Golden State has now improved to 25-25 and now sits in 11th place in the Western Conference. This was their sixth win in seven games.

This game was filled with tension to the very end. There was a last-minute foul called that was reviewed and the Warriors would go on to win. The monster shot from Curry was the deal buster. He would finish with 30 points, the team high. 

Jonathan Kuminga shot for 21 points. It was another quiet game for Klay Thompson finishing with 5 points and 1 rebound. Gary Payton returned to the court after missing the last 16 games with a left hamstring strain. 

He had a great return game with 11 points and 4 rebounds. Both teams had 14 turnovers in an extremely fast-paced game. The Warriors had 17 three’s with Curry owning nine of them.

Draymond Green had avoided any technicals until tonight. He picked up a technical arguing about a foul call after a successful layup in the third quarter. He was seen exchanging words with Suns center Jusuf Nurkic who was hit in the face by Green back in December which led to his suspension.

Monday night the Warriors will take on the Utah Jazz at Delta Center. Tipoff for that game is scheduled for 6:00 PM.   

Kings Blow Out Nuggets 135-106 Sabonis passes Jokic for NBA lead in triple doubles with 16

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Sacramento Kings forward Domantas Sabonis (10) forward tries to defend the Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic (15) in first half action at the Golden 1 Center in Sacramento on Fri Feb 9, 2024 (AP News photo)

By Jeremiah Salmonson

The Sacramento Kings were back in action on Friday night at Golden One Center in Sacramento. The Kings had last played on Wednesday night when they took on the Detroit Pistons. The Kings would fall to the Pistons and give them just their seventh win of the season, 133-120.

On Friday, the Kings looked for a different outcome against one of the best teams in the NBA as they welcomed the Denver Nuggets. Denver was on the second night of a back-to-back as tip-off was set for 7 PM PST. The Kings defeated the Thunder 135-106 on Friday night.

The Kings and Nuggets got off to a quick start in the first quarter. Offense was in good shape, as the two teams both started hot. The Nuggets outscored the Kings 35-32 in the first quarter. However, Nikola Jokic would hurt himself and return to the locker room. The Kings would look to tighten up the defense in the second quarter.

Jokic returned from his brief injury in the second quarter and is healthy. The Kings offense exploded in the second quarter as they scored 35 points. On the other hand, the Kings defense was also much better in the second quarter, as they held the Nuggets to only 22 points.

The Kings led the Nuggets 67-57 heading into halftime. It was the battle of the two bigs as Sabonis and Jokic each led their teams with 13 and 14 first-half points, respectively.

The Kings offense kept firing on all cylinders in the third quarter, carrying over from the first half. The Kings scored 39 points in the third quarter to build on the first-half lead. The Nuggets looked tired on the second night of a back-to-back and scored 29 points in the third. Ultimately, the Kings were just playing better all-around basketball. The Kings would go into the final quarter up 106-86.

In the fourth quarter, the Kings largely subbed out the starters, and it was garbage time for the bench. The Kings bench unit still put up big numbers as the Kings outscored the Nuggets 29-20 in the fourth. The Kings would win the game 135-106. Malik Monk led The Kings in victory, scoring 23 points. Jokic led the Nuggets with a 23-point game of his own.

Up Next: The Kings remain home to take on the Oklahoma City Thunder on Sunday at noon PST.

Sacramento Kings podcast with Jeremiah Salmonson: Kings face tough NBA Champs Nuggets tonight at Golden 1 Center

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Detroit Pistons guard Killian Hayes (7) drives on the Sacramento Kings forward Domantas Sabonis (10) and forward Keegan Murray (13) in the first half at Little Caesar’s Arena in Detroit on Wed Feb 7, 2024 (AP News photo)

Sacramento Kings podcast with Jeremiah Salmonson:

#1 Jeremiah, the Detroit Pistons Jaden Ivey was hitting his shot leading with a career high of 37 points as the Pistons defeated the Sacramento Kings by 13 points 133-120 at Little Caesars Pizza Arena in Detroit on Wednesday night.

#2 Ivey scored 19 of his 37 points in the fourth quarter and the Kings just had a rough time shutting down his offensive game.

#3 The Kings leading scorer Domantas Sabonis had 30 but Sabonis couldn’t do it all in trying to carry the Kings over the finish line.

#4 The Kings have now lost two straight, they’ve lost six of their last ten, and they are seventh in the Western Conference how much concern does head coach Mike Brown have that this team could slip even further if they don’t start stringing some wins together?

#5 The Kings are in Denver tonight taking on the NBA Champions Denver Nuggets at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento. The Nuggets are third in the Western Conference and have won two straight and won seven of their last ten games. The Kings could have their hands full tonight.

Jeremiah Salmonson does the Kings podcasts Fridays at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Warriors stay hot rout Pacers 121-109; Extend win streak to three; Curry leads with 49 pts

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Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) led the Warriors with 49 points against the Indiana Pacers at Gainbridge Fieldhouse Indianapolis on Thu Feb 8, 2024 (AP News photo)

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Golden State Warriors (24-25) led wire to wire to outgun the Indiana Pacers (29-24) 131-109 in Indianapolis. The arena fans got to see how good Warrior guard Stephen Curry is. Curry made his first seven three-point shots in a row.

Curry finished the first half, connecting on eight threes and 29 points in total. The Warriors played well on defense, too. The Warriors’ defense held Tyrese Haliburton to five points. Haliburton averages 22.5 points per game.

The Warriors have the ninth-best defensive record with Draymond Green in the lineup. Without him, the Warriors are 20th. The Warriors finished the five-game road trip with four wins and just one loss. The only loss was to the Atlanta Hawks in overtime.

The Warriors have won five of the last six. Steve Kerr had to be pleased with the performances of the younger players on the team. Brandin Podzienski, Jonathan Kunimga, Lester Quinones, and Gui Santos all played well in handing the Pacers the loss.

The Warriors got off to a hot start in the first quarter. Curry’s seven threes in the quarter helped the Warriors score 45 points. The Pacers never led in the game. They trailed early in the game by one point, 7-6.

The Warriors offense was clicking on all cylinders Thursday night. The Warriors led 58-53 on Curry’s three-pointer. The Pacers closed the gap to two, 58-56. The Warriors then went on a 12-2 run to finish the first half 70-58. Curry tallied 29 points. He was ten for eleven from the floor.

Eight of the shots were three-pointers. Kuminga had 10, Andrew Wiggins and Dario Saric each had nine.

The Warriors did not relent in the third quarter. They outscored the Pacers 25-18 to finish the third quarter leading 95-76. Curry led the attack. Draymond Green, Dario Saric, Gui Santos, and Brandin Podzienski helped on offense. In the fourth quarter, the Warriors continued to put points on the board. Curry, Kuminga, Santos, and Quinones all played well.

Game Notes: With the win, the Warriors are now 24-25. The Pacers fell to 29-24.

Curry led the team with 42 points. He made 11 threes, the 13th time in his career that he has made 11 threes in a game. Curry’s Splash brother, Klay Thompson, has made 11 threes four times in his career. Thompson did not play Thursday night.

Thompson celebrated his 34th birthday on Thursday.
The other Warriors in double figures were Kuminga (18), Santos (13), Wiggins (11), and Saric(11). As a team, the Warriors shot 56% from the floor and made 17 threes in 32 tries.

The Warriors play the Phoenix Suns at the Chase Center on Saturday night. The game will start at 5:30 pm.

Kings bow to Pistons NBA’s worst team 136-110 at Golden 1 Center; Detroit’s Ivey leads with 37 points

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The Detroit Pistons guard Jaden Ivey (23) gets a fade away shot over the Sacramento Kings guard Malik Monk (0) in second half action at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento on Wed Feb 7, 2024 (AP News photo)

By Jeremiah Salmonson

SACRAMENTO–The Sacramento Kings were back in action on Wednesday night in Sacramento. The Kings were coming off a seven-game road trip that saw them go 5-2. It was a solid trip for the Kings that exceeded expectations.

However, the Kings didn’t finish the trip strong as the red-hot Cleveland Cavs blew them out on Monday 136-110. On Wednesday, the Kings welcomed the worst team in the NBA, the Detroit Pistons. The tip-off was set for 7 PM PST at Golden One Center. The Kings fell to the worst team in the NBA, 133-120, on Wednesday night.

In the first quarter, the Kings played no defense as usual. Yet, the offense was firing on all cylinders. The Kings scored 36 points in the first quarter compared to the Pistons, who scored 31. The Kings were aided in the first quarter with great three-point shooting from Kevin Huerter, who hit 3-4.

In the second quarter, the Kings melted down. The Kings had zero effort on the defensive end, and the Kings shots stopped falling. That combo led to the Kings giving up the lead and giving the Pistons the lead going into halftime.

The Pistons outscored the Kings 39-27 in the second quarter to take the lead going into halftime. The Kings would trail the Pistons 70-63 at halftime. It was an embarrassing showing from the Kings as the boos reigned down from Golden One. Could the Kings turn it around in the third?

Yes! The Kings turned things around drastically in the third quarter as they stormed back to take the lead. The Kings outscored the Pistons in the third quarter 36-27. It was a welcome sight for Kings fans who were unhappy with how the first half ended. The Kings would go into the fourth quarter leading 99-97 after a buzzer-beating three from Domas Sabonis.

In the fourth quarter, the Kings lost the plot. The Kings were run off the court on Wednesday night as the Pistons fired in the final quarter to beat the Kings 133-120.

The Kings were outscored by the Pistons 36-21 in the fourth quarter, which led to their demise. The Kings best performance came from Domas Sabonis, who had 30 points and 12 rebounds. Jaden Ivey led the Pistons to victory with 37 points.

Up Next: The Kings stay home to take on the Denver Nuggets in Sacramento at 7 PM PST on Friday.

Golden State Warriors podcast with Jerry Feitelberg: Warriors look to win their second straight game tonight in Philadelphia

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Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) drives on the Brooklyn Nets center Nic Claxton (33) in first half action at the Barclay Center on Mon Feb 5, 2024. The Warriors are in Philadelphia Wed Feb 7, 2024 at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia (AP News photo)

On the Golden State Warriors podcast with Jerry Feitelberg:

#1 Jerry, the Warriors pulled another one off where they had to come back from behind and they can give most of the credit to guard Stephen Curry who led with 29 points on Monday night.

#2 The Warriors also got help from Jonathan Kuminga who finished second in scoring with 28 points. Kuminga scoring played huge since he and Curry finished in large numbers to get by the Brooklyn Nets.

#3 Jerry, there was little doubt the Warriors were trying to make amends for losing to the Atlanta Hawks last Saturday after Curry put in a full on effort with 60 points only to lose it.

#4 The Warriors started the game against the Brooklyn Nets questionable hitting only two out of 11 three pointers, turned the ball over ten times, the Nets capitalized scoring 15 points on Warriors turnovers while Golden State managed to get 43 points in the first half.

#5 The Warriors have won three of their last four games and tip off against the Philadelphia 76ers at Well Fargo Center in Philadelphia for a 4:30pm PT tip. The Warriors won the last time they faced the 76ers in San Francisco on Tue Jan 30th. Golden State’s defense were able to hold back 76ers star shooter Joel Embiid for that last win.

Join Jerry Feitelberg for the Warriors podcasts each Wednesday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Warriors come back on Nets 108-98; Curry scores 29 to help lead in victory

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Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) drives on the Brooklyn Nets center Nic Claxton (33) in the first half at the Barclay Center in Brooklyn on Mon Feb 5, 2024 (AP News photo)

By Jessica Kwong

BROOKLYN, N.Y. — The Golden State Warriors overcame their struggles at the start of the game to beat the Brooklyn Nets 108-98 at Barclays Center on Monday night in what head coach Steve Kerr described as a “really good team effort”.

It was a welcome win for the Warriors after their 141-134 overtime loss to the Atlanta Hawks on Saturday despite Stephen Curry scoring 60 points. In Brooklyn, Curry scored 29 points and Jonathan Kuminga contributed 28.

“We won a game on the road against a team that’s been playing well,” said Kerr. “And we had multiple guys step in, you know Lester (Quinones) and Moses (Moody) and Gui (Santos) and that’s the story of tonight’s game, is those guys coming back and really contributing to a win.”

The Warriors were 2 for 11 on 3-pointers and had 10 turnovers that led to 15 points. They were held to only 43 points in the first half, but outscored Brooklyn 66-49 in the second half.

In the first quarter, Brooklyn was only 3 for 16 from the 3-point range but scored 12 points from seven Golden State turnovers, and finished off with a 23-20 lead. The Warriors did not make a triple until Curry scored one with 4:29 left in the second quarter, which was his 3,600th career three pointer. Still, Brooklyn led 49-43 at the half. The game was tied with just under three minutes left in the third quarter, and the Warriors led by 69-68 at the end of the quarter.

The Warriors stepped it up in the fourth quarter, extending their lead to 10 points a couple of minutes in. With 5:41 to go, Brandin Podziemski made a two point shot from Draymond Green and the Warriors took an 11-point lead. At 4:59 remaining, Nic Claxton was ejected for a flagrant foul on Podziemski.

Podziemski got up after a few minutes on the floor and made one of two free throws and put the Warriors up 92-82. The Warriors lead 100-94 at the two-minute mark. Curry made an 8-foot driving floating jump shot, drawing some “MVP” chants from the crowd. Curry made the free throw to put the Warriors up 105-94 with 1:19 remaining.

Gui Santos, who returned to the NBA in November, added 9 points, two of which were free throws with 40 seconds left in the game and the Warriors led 107-96.

“Everybody here always say, be ready for when you have the opportunity,” said Santos. “When I saw I have a couple minutes on the court, I was like, I have to bring another energy to the team, especially defensively.”

Mikal Bridges made a driving layup with 33 seconds left to go to cut Golden State’s lead to 107-98. Kuminga made a slam dunk with 20 seconds remaining, and Curry dribbled the ball to run out the shot clock and seal the 109-98 victory.

“We needed every bit of it to close out a game,” Curry said of the guys giving it their all. “It was a six point game at one point. Last four minutes was a beautiful brand of basketball.”

Kerr said he could not remember when the last time was that the Warriors went 4 for 22 from 3 and won.

“It seems like every game is like this for us. We’ve hardly had any blowouts in either direction,” Kerr said. “So every game is tight and I think if our guys can build on this, we can recognize what it takes to win these close games.”

At 22-25, the Warriors are 12th in the Western Conference. They continue their five-game road trip against the Philadelphia 76ers (39-19) on Wednesday. Tip-off is at 4:30 p.m. PT.