Category: NBA

Sacramento Kings podcast with Jeremiah Salmonson: Kings host 12th place Raptors tonight at Golden 1

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The Orlando Magic forward Pablo Banchero (5) tries to defend against a Sacramento Kings forward Keegan Murray (13) shot during the first quarter at the Golden 1 Center in Sacramento on Wed Jan 3, 2024 (AP News photo)

On the Sacramento Kings podcast with Jeremiah:

#1 Jeremiah. the Orlando Magic were shorthanded but the Sacramento Kings were still able to persevere and win out in double overtime on Wednesday night at Golden 1 Center 138-135.

#2 The Kings got help from Domantas Sabonis who chalked up another triple double, 22 points, 23 rebounds and 12 assists.

#3 Malik Monk went all out with 37 points and he did it off the bench for the Kings. The 37 points for Monk made him the team leading scorer for the evening. Making every basket that Monk could spare valuable as the Kings did whatever they could to win this one.

#4 The Magic’s power forward Pablo Banchero was just outstanding and difficult to defend finishing with game leading 43 points. For the Magic he was the key that kept them in this game forcing double overtime.

#5 The Kings came away with the win on Wednesday night and now host the Toronto Raptors who occupy 12th place in the Western Conference. The Raptors have won four of their last ten games and have won two games in a row coming into Sacramento on Friday night for a 7:00pm PT tip.

Jeremiah does the Sacramento Kings podcasts each Friday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Nuggets come back to beat Warriors with Jokic buzzer beater in devastating loss 130-127

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The Denver Nuggets Nikola Jokioc (15) hits a three point game winning shot over the Golden State Warriors Kevon Looney (5) at the Chase Center in San Francisco on Thu Jan 4, 2024 (AP News photo)

Thursday, Jan. 4, 2024

Chase Center, San Francisco, California

Denver Nuggets 130 (25-11)

Golden State Warriors 127 (16-18)

By Stephen Ruderman

The Denver Nuggets came back late to beat the Warriors on a buzzer beater by Nikola Jokic, who led the way with 34 points, as Golden State fell, 130-127, to suffer their fourth loss in their last five games.

The Warriors snapped their three-game losing streak with a win over the Orlando Magic in San Francisco on Tuesday night, and they were looking to build off of that tonight. The Nuggets, meanwhile, had come in winning 10 of their last 12 games. It was a rematch of a neck-and-neck matchup between the two teams on Christmas in Denver that saw the Nuggets beat the Warriors, 120-114.

The Warriors got off to a quick start in Thursday night’s match, as they won the opening tip, and got on the board on a dunk by Jonathan Kuminga. The Nuggets quickly responded with a jumper by Kentavious Caldwell-Pope to get on the board, but the Warriors pounced, and eventually opened up a 21-11 lead just under five minutes into the game.

The Warriors led it 27-18 with 5:33 to go in the first quarter, but Jokic made a pair of layups to cut the score to cut the Warriors’ lead to 27-22, and that was the start of 16-6 run for the Nuggets, which took them to a 34-33 lead at the end of the first quarter.

The Nuggets kept that momentum into the second quarter, as they held a small lead over the first four minutes. Klay Thompson hit a three-ball to put the Warriors back ahead at 44-42, but the Nuggets responded with a three by Michael Porter Jr., as the teams seesawed their way through the next several minutes. The Nuggets then pulled away a bit, and went into the half with a 70-63 lead.

Jokic started the third quarter with a three-ball to extend Denver’s lead to 73-63, but the Warriors slowly chipped away at that lead, as they tied it at 84-84 with six minutes to go in the third quarter, as Kuminga hit a jumper, and hit the free throw after being fouled on the play.

The Nuggets quickly retook the lead on a pair of free throws by Jokic, but the Warriors continued their onslaught, as they outscored the Nuggets in the third quarter, 44-24, to go into the fourth quarter up 107-94.

Andrew Wiggins hit a three to start the fourth, and put Golden State up 110-94. The Warriors would maintain that steady lead throughout the first half of the fourth quarter, as they led it 123-105 with just 6:51 remaining, following a jumper by Wiggins.

However, the Nuggets suddenly started coming back. Jokic hit a hook shot, and Gordan hit a pair of free throws, as well as a three ball to cut the deficit to 123-112 with 5:14 to go. Gordon then tipped one, and made a pair of free throws, followed by a pair of free throws by Jokic to suddenly make it 123-118 with 3:23 to go.

Stephen Curry was fouled, and made two from the line to give the Warriors a brief reprieve, as they extended their lead to 125-118. Gordon then hit another pair of free throws for the Nuggets, and the Golden State responded with a layup by Trayce Jackson-Davis.

Peyton Watson hit a three Jokic alley-ooped to Gordan, who dunked it, and the Nuggets had remarkably made it just a two-point game at 127-125 with just 1:08 remaining. Jokic then hit a jumper to tie it with 26 seconds to go.

Curry had the ball for the Warriors, and he slow-walked it, as he wanted to run the clock down to prevent the Nuggets from winning it in regulation. However, a pass from Curry was stolen by Jamal Murray with four seconds remaining. 

Timeout was called, and then when the ball was passed in to Jokic, he shot one from almost halfcourt that he certainly didn’t expect to go in, but it hit off the backboard and in to deal the Warriors a devastating 130-127 loss right at the buzzer.

Jokic was mobbed by his teammates, as well as his head coach, Michael Malone. The camera then panned to Stephen Curry, who chewed away at his mouthguard in utter astonishment. Curry scored 30 points tonight, and even with that performance the Warriors still could not hold on.

The Warriors have now lost four of their last five, as they fall to 16-18, and they have also fallen a half-game back of the Los Angeles Lakers for the 10th seed in the Western Conference.

Golden State will be right back at it Friday night, as they will welcome the Detroit Pistons to Chase Center for a 7 p.m. tip.

Golden State Warriors podcast with Jerry Feitelberg: Curry’s scoring once again saves Warriors; Payton out with hamstring injury; plus more news

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Golden State Warrior guard Stephen Curry takes a three point shot as he’s fouled by the Orlando Magic guard Jalen Suggs (4) in the first half at the Chase Center in San Francisco on Tue Jan 2, 2024 (AP News photo)

On the Warriors podcast with Jerry F:

#1 Stephen Curry led the Golden State Warriors on Tuesday night with 36 points in the Warriors victory over the Orlando Magic 121-115 it was a win that snapped Golden State’s three game losing streak.

#2 Jerry, Curry was instrumental scoring two three pointers and assisted two other baskets in the third quarter that help the Warriors take the lead which the Orlando Magic was able to build in the second quarter.

#3 Curry’s offensive show continued with the last 8:33 left in the game which help put the Warriors up 101-97. Curry hit a step back three pointer that got the Warriors up 104-97.

#4 Jerry, with the win the Warriors moved up to .500 at 9-9. Without Draymond Green in the line up in the last ten days. Green has not been contact with the team. There has been no date when he would return although it was mentioned that he could be back during the first week in January. “We’ve been giving him his space, he’s been giving us ours,” said head coach Steve Kerr.

#5 Jerry, Gary Payton got a hamstring injury in the third quarter and didn’t get back in the game. Payton had missed four to five weeks. Payton according to Kerr had worked hard to get back in the line up and said with the hamstring this impacts the line up and Kerr said he has no idea when Payton will get back.

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

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

Kings defeat Magic 138-135 in double overtime at Golden 1 Center

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The Orlando Magic guard Anthony Black (0) tries to work his way around the Sacramento Kings guard De’Aaron Fox (5) in the first quarter at the Golden 1 Center in Sacramento on Wed Jan 3, 2024 (AP News photo)

By Jeremiah Salmonson

SACRAMENTO–The Sacramento Kings were back in action on Wednesday night in Sacramento. The Kings were set to play the second night of a back-to-back after playing on Tuesday. The Charlotte Hornets defeated the Kings in the first game of the back-to-back 111-104. The Kings would look to pick up their first win on back-to-back affairs this season. The tip-off was set for 7 PM PST from Golden One Center. The Kings would defeat the Magic on a second night of a back-to-back 138-135.

In the first quarter, the Kings got off to a slow start. Similar to the game against the Hornets, the Kings energy wasn’t present to start the game. Keegan Murray was the exception to this bad start, as he scored ten points in the first quarter. The Magic outscored the Kings in the first quarter 30-27 as they jumped out to the early lead in the game.

In the second quarter, the Kings battled. The Kings got down early in the second but managed to take the lead at the 8:31 mark. The Kings would get a spark from Malik Monk as they pulled ahead. For the rest of the quarter, the Kings continued to push the pace.

The Kings had a big quarter as they outscored the Magic 40-25 to take the lead going into halftime. The Kings would lead the Magic 67-55 at halftime as they looked to bounce back from Tuesday night’s game.

In the third quarter, the Magic came roaring back on the Kings. The Magic outscored the Kings 34-24 in the third quarter to pull within two points of the Kings. The Kings led 91-89 going into the final quarter after a total meltdown in the third.

In the fourth quarter, the Kings were in trouble. The Kings led by 16 at one point in the game and slipped all the way to trailing by three points with 6:17 in the game.

The Kings would need to take much better care of the ball in the final six minutes if they hoped to win the game. The game would go back and fourth but no result after the quarter. Regulation would end tied at 118.

The Kings would end up prevailing in the second overtime quarter by the final of 138-135. The Kings were led by Monk who had 37 points in the game. The Magic received their best performance from Paulo Banchero who scored 43 points.

Up Next: The Kings will stay home to take on the Toronto Raptors on Friday at 7 PM PST.

Kings lose to Hornets 111-104; Rozier leads Charlotte with 34 pts at Golden 1

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The Charlotte Hornets guard Terry Rozier right drives the lane on the Sacramento Kings guard De’Aaron Fox (5) in first quarter action at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento on Tue Jan 2, 2024 (AP News photo)

By Jeremiah Salmonson

SACRAMENTO–The Sacramento Kings were back in action on Tuesday night in Sacramento. The Kings lost a tough one to Charlotte Hornets on Tuesday after returning from a quick road trip. The Kings last played on Sunday in Memphis.

The Kings defeated the Grizzlies to finish the road trip 2-1. On Tuesday, the Hornets came into Golden One Center ready for tip-off at 7 PM PST. The Kings would fall to the Hornets 111-104 in shocking fashion on Tuesday night.

In the first quarter, the Kings played terribly. The Kings offense was off from the jump, and they were really never able to get it going. On the other hand, the Hornets were able to get a bit going towards the end of the quarter as they scored 25 points. The Kings scored 21 points in the quarter.

In the second quarter, the offense came alive a bit, but it still wasn’t up to par. The Kings got their first contributions from De’Aaron Fox in the second quarter, as he scored nine points. The Kings would outscore the Hornets 29-20 in the second quarter to take the lead into the break.

The Kings would lead 50-45 going into halftime. The leading scorer for the Kings was Domantas Sabonis, who had 13 points. Leading scorer for the Hornets in the first half was Terry Rozier, who scored 15 points.

In the third quarter, neither team differentiated themselves much. The Kings and Hornets traded baskets in the third as the Hornets were able to cut the deficit by two points. The Hornets outscored the Kings 30-28. The game would go into the fourth quarter with the Kings leading 78-75.

In the fourth quarter of action, the Kings meltdown materialized in defeat. The Hornets outscored the Kings in the fourth quarter 36-26 to seal the deal and snap their 11 game losing streak. The Kings fans in attendance were stunned in defeat as Las Vegas had the Kings as 15.5 point favorites going into the game.

The Kings could never get a rhythm on the offensive side of the ball all game. The Kings were led in defeat by Fox who scored 30 points in the game. The Hornets snapped their losing streak behind a 34 point performance from Rozier.

Up Next: The Kings will stay home to take on the Orlando Magic on the second night of a back-to-back on Wednesday at 7 PM PST.

Warriors hold on to down Magic 121-115; Golden State ends 3 game skid

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Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) hits a three point shot against the Orlando Magic at the Chase Center in San Francisco on Tue Jan 2, 2024 (AP News photo)

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Golden State Warriors (16-17) had to work extra hard to beat the Orlando Magic (19-14) Tuesday night at the Chase Center. The Magic, with the best record in the Southeast Division, 19-13, had rebuilt the team via the draft.

The Magic had four players over six feet ten inches tall. Last year’s Rookie of the Year, Paolo Banchero, is a force to be reckoned with. The Warriors assigned Klay Thompson to guard him Tuesday night. It wasn’t easy, but Thompson did the job even though Banchero scored 27 points.

The Warriors had to find a way to stop Moritz and Franz Wagner the young men from Berlin, Germany, were both six-feet ten. The center, Bitadze, measured six feet eleven inches. The Warriors’ tallest players were Kevon Looney and Trayce Jackson-Davis, who were six feet nine inches tall. 

The Warriors had lost three in a row and knew beating the young, tall, and talented Magic squad would be a struggle. The game was a nip-and-tuck affair until late in the fourth quarter. The Magic had an early nine-point lead in. the first quarter.

The Warriors got their game going to finish the first quarter with a two-point advantage, 30-28. The Warrior’s biggest lead in the second quarter was 47-42. The Magic kept coming back. They made a three at the end of the first half to tie the game, 55-55.

Orlando’s big men outrebounded the Warriors 33-25. The Magic had 13 offensive rebounds to help keep them in the game. The Warriors had a rough first half at the free-throw line. The Magic, not a good free-throwing team, made thirteen free throws. The Warriors made seven in 14 threes. 

Stephen Curry and Thompson propelled the Warriors to a six-point lead 87-81 in the third quarter. Curry started to connect from three-point land. Thompson started to make buckets. The one sad note was Gary Payton II appeared to suffer a leg injury. Payton went to the locker room and did not return.

The Magic erased the six-point lead to start the fourth quarter. Thompson, Curry, and Jonathan Kuminga paced the offense for Golden State. Moritz and Franz Wagner made shots to keep the Magic in the game. Curry made a deuce and a trey to give the Warriors the lead, 104-97. Thompson and two buckets by Kunimga had the Warriors leading, 110-101. The Warriors’ defense did the job, and the Warriors were able to win the game 121-115.

Game Notes: With the win, the Warriors snapped a three-game losing streak, and improved to 16-17 for the season. The Magic dropped to 19-14.

All five of the Warrior starters were in double figures. Curry led the team with 36 points and made four threes. Kuminga had 19 points, six rebounds, and four assists. Thompson had 15 points. Thompson made three threes. Chris Paul had 12 points, and he also made three threes. Jackson-Davis, Andrew Wiggins, and Brandin Podzienski each had ten. Wiggins was once again excellent on defense for the Warriors.

Banchero paced the Magic with 27 points, 12 boards, and six assists. Franz Wagner had 25. Bitadze had 13, Moritz Wagner had 12, and Jalen Suggs had ten.

The Warriors cut down on fouls in the second half. The Magic made just six free throws. Turnovers were not an issue for Golden State Tuesday night. The Warriors did a good job, as they committed just 12 turnovers.

The Warriors meet the defending NBA champion Denver Nuggets on Thursday night at the Chase Center. The Warriors will be looking to avenge the loss to the Nuggets on Christmas day in Denver. The game will start at 7 pm.

Golden State Warriors podcast with Barbara Mason: Warriors looking to snap 3 game skid Tuesday against Magic at Chase

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The Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) takes a shot against the Dallas Mavericks guard Josh Green (8) in first half action at Chase Center in San Francisco Sat Dec 30, 2023 (AP News photo)

On the Warriors podcast with Barbara:

#1 The Dallas Mavericks handed Golden State their third straight loss Saturday 132-122. The Mavericks Luka Doncic lead with 39 points and the Warriors just couldn’t shut him down.

#2 Doncic also had ten assists and eight rebounds he was carrying a lot of the weight for the Mavericks that got them the ten point win.

#3 The Warriors Stephen Curry who had 18 points in the previous game against the Miami Heat led the Warriors in scoring on Saturday against the Mavericks with 25 and had seven assists.

#4 The Warriors Chris Paul 24 points it was his most this season and with that effort became the 37th player in NBA history to surpass the 22,000 point mark.

#5 The Warriors take a three game loss streak into Tuesday night’s game at the Chase Center they’ll host the Orlando Magic. The Magic are holding their own this season fourth in the Eastern Conference and have won five of their last 11 games. The defense has been a concern for Golden State do you see this being a close game on Tuesday?

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

Sacramento Kings Demolish Grizzlies In Memphis 123-92

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The Sacramento Kings guard Malik Monk (0) dribbles on the Memphis Grizzlies guard Vince Williams Jr (5) in the second half at FedEx Forum in Memphis on Sun Dec 31, 2023 (AP News photo)

By Barbara Mason

The Sacramento Kings (19-12) traveled to Memphis and dismantled the Memphis Grizzlies (10-22) 123-92 in as near a perfect game as you could get. They led from the start of the game to the finish. Off the bench, Malik Monk went off the rails shooting for 27 points which was the team high. De’Aaron Fox finished with 24 points and Domantas Sabonis had 21 rebounds.

Game recap: Sacramento got a nice start and the opening quarter was a real see-saw between the two teams trading leads. The Kings were looking to keep Memphis out of the paint which could prove to be one of the keys to this game. Sacramento won the opening quarter leading after one 34-29.

The Kings began to pour it on in the second quarter taking as much as a fourteen point lead. At the half Sacramento led 70-58. Monk, the Kings incredibly reliable bench player, finished the half with 17 points. 

Both Fox and Sabonis were shooting in double digits. Ja Morant, Marcus Smart and Desmond Bane all shot in double digits for Memphis in this highly competitive, fast paced game. Both teams had great ball protection each with only four turnovers. 

The Kings outshot the Grizzlies 59% to 45%. They also won the rebound battle with 28 to Memphis’ 18. Sacramento would have to pull out all the stops to keep the momentum on their side in the second half. With Morant back in the lineup this team is nothing to dismiss and the Kings were looking to control the rhythm and pace of the game in the second half.

The Kings kept the pressure on in the third quarter and after three quarters held a 101-79 lead. They were beating the Grizzlies at every turn offensively and defensively in an unrelenting effort. 

They were beating them from the field, from downtown and rebounding. The Kings had more turnovers in the game but it did not factor because of the dominant offensive effort from Sacramento.

The Kings were looking for an early Happy New Year. Sacramento was doing a great job on the glass and Monk continued his onslaught into the fourth quarter. With under three minutes left in the game this was a done deal. 

The Kings had led by 20 plus points throughout the final quarter and at 2:04 led this game 123-92 and that would be the final. Sacramento had won their 19th season game and the Kings had made a real statement loud and clear.

Post game notes: After fighting and clawing their way to a win in Atlanta Friday night, the Kings traveled to Memphis for a matchup with the Grizzlies. The Kings more than proved themselves in Atlanta trailing through 3 1/2 quarters before they even took a lead. 

They won with patience and perseverance in the 117-110 win. Saturday night they faced a far different Grizzlies team than the Memphis team that started the season. The Grizzlies have their ace Morant back on board, tried as hard as he can the Kings held Morant off with just 17 points and three other Grizzlies were in double figures as well but fell well short of catching the Kings.

It will be a happy new year for the Sacramento Kings after this game. They played a near perfect game. Not enough can be said for the game Monk put out taking some of the pressure off Fox. It will be a happy homecoming as Sacramento heads home to take on the Charlotte Hornets Tuesday night with tipoff scheduled for 7:00 PM.

Warriors Fall To Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks 132-122

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The Dallas Mavericks Luca Doncic (77) takes a jump shot against the Golden State Warriors Andrew Wiggins (22) at the Chase Center in San Francisco on Sat Dec 30, 2023 (AP News photo)

By Barbara Mason

Luca Doncic of the Dallas Mavericks (19-14) scored 39 points and eight rebounds en-route to a win over the Golden State Warriors (15-17) 132-122. Golden State trailed from the beginning and never caught up. Again Warrior guard Stephen Curry got a slow start coming away with yet another disappointing first half. 

Teams are constantly double teaming Curry and the rest of the roster has to step up and they did not. Chris Paul, starting tonight, had a great game scoring 24 points. Klay Thompson continues to struggle taking the “Splash Brothers” out of the equation. Tonight he finished with three points.

Saturday night Chase Center was rocking as the Warriors took on the Mavericks. It was a huge challenge for the Warriors in this game containing Doncic. Double teaming him was the order of the day for Golden State. He had some great support in Dante Exum and Dereck Lively II and off the bench Josh Green is always a threat.

 The Warriors starting roster looked a bit different with the dependable Chris Paul and the red-hot Trayce Jackson-Davis starting tonight. The Warriors couldn’t keep Doncic under wraps that who led Dallas with 39 points towards their victory.

Game recap: The Mavericks took a 34-26 lead to finish the first quarter. Dallas is an outstanding road team and presents all sorts of problems for home teams. The Mavericks would go on to win the second quarter 29-28 in a closely contested quarter. At the half, Dallas held a 63-54 lead. The Warriors continued to hang around in this game and they were hitting nearly half of their points in the paint but just couldn’t get enough going to take the lead. 

Dallas edged the Warriors as the third quarter came to an end 38-35, still leading 101-89. This game would come down to the fourth quarter and Golden State needed some stops and getting some support for Curry could decide this game. 

The clock was running down and the Warriors were fighting to take the lead trailing 125-119 with 1:31 left in the game. Thompson did not make any impact in this game finishing with three points and two rebounds. As the clock wound down, there would be no run for Golden State, and no win losing this game 132-122. Golden State had their eighth home loss and their third loss in a row.

Every starter with the exception of Thompson scored in double digits. Curry had the team high with 25 points and Paul who started tonight had a terrific game with 24 points. Jackson-Davis finished with 17 points and Jonathan Kuminga also had a nice game with 16 points and was one of three players with nine rebounds. 

Off the bench both Dario Saric and Brandin Podziemski both had nine rebounds also. Golden State did out-rebound the Mavericks.  The Warriors only had 11 turnovers so ball protection was very good. The change in the starting roster was designed to give the team a defensive boost but it did not materialize in this game. 

The Warriors just could not handle Doncic who finished with 39 points and 10 rebounds. Three bench players finished with double digits for Dallas. Josh Green had 18 points, Tim Hardaway Jr. had 16 and Grant Williams finished with 10 points so some nice work from the Dallas bench.

The Warriors will continue their home-stand, their longest of the season, next Tuesday. They will be looking to get back on the winning track in 2024 as they take on the Orlando Magic with tipoff scheduled for 7:00 PM.

 

After Trailing Most of the Game Kings Pull Out Win Over Hawks 117-110

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The Sacramento Kings (forward) Domantas Sabonis (10) drives on the Atlanta Hawks forward Omekya Okungwu (17) in the first half at State Farm Arena in Atlanta on Fri Dec 29, 2023 (AP News photo)

By Barbara Mason

The Sacramento Kings (18-12) trailed for most of their game against the Atlanta Hawks (12-19) and did not take the lead until the final 3:27 of the game. They trailed big in the first half, by as much as 20 points. Harrison Barnes, Keegan Murray and Kevin Huerter had very quiet games but Murray hit a huge shot in the closing minutes of the game. Trey Lyles and Malik Monk had an exceptional game off the bench in the win 117-110. 

Friday night the Kings traveled to Atlanta to take on the Hawks at State Farm Arena. They came into this game after a lackluster performance against the Portland Trail Blazers losing 130-113 Tuesday night. 

Prior to that they lost one to the Minnesota Timberwolves 110-98. The Kings did beat the Suns pretty convincingly 120-105 last Friday night. They have had some significant losses this time they bounced back Friday night so after two losses in a row and turned things around with the win over the Hawks. The Hawks lost Tuesday night to the Chicago Bulls 118-113 and once again couldn’t pick up the win Friday against the Kings.

Game recap: The Kings had a terrible start dropping the first quarter 36-23. The Hawks had outshot them from the field by a landslide. They did not hit a single three in the opening quarter. 

They only had two turnovers in the first quarter, they just could not hit a basket to save their lives. They had a more successful second quarter in fact, at 6:28 in the second they had pulled to within five points 48-43 after trailing by as much as 20 points in the first quarter. They let it all slide away losing the second quarter 35-30 and trailing at the half 71-53. 

Sacramento pulled to within seven points with six minutes left in the third quarter but again let it start to slip away.   After trailing by ten points, the Kings made a run pulling to within five points 91-86 as the third quarter came to an end. 

They won the third quarter 33-20 and this game hung on the fourth quarter. Sacramento had taken over the pace of the game but desperately needed Murray who had played 29 minutes and come away with only seven points. Barnes played minimal minutes with minimal success.

The Hawks extended their lead in the fourth quarter and the Kings couldn’t put a stop to their offense. The Kings had outshot them from the field, but the Hawks topped them from downtown and had 43 rebounds to Sacramento’s 31. 

With less than six minutes left in the game the Kings took their first lead 106-105. With 4:20 left in the game it was all tied up at 110 in a real nail-biter. Murray did not have a great night of shooting but he made a critical shot when it counted most with 49.1 left on the clock . The final was 117-110 in favor of the Kings.

On New Year’s Eve, the Kings will travel to Memphis to take on the Grizzlies at FedExForum. Tipoff for this game is scheduled for 5:00 PM.