Category: NBA

Golden State Warriors podcast with Barbara Mason: Warriors take first pre season with ease

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Jonathan Kuminga and the Golden State Warriors were doing a little of everything even throwing down against the Los Angeles Lakers at the Chase Center in San Francisco on Sat Oct 7, 2023 (@jonathankuminga photo)

On the Warriors podcast with Barbara:

#1 Fans got to see an incredible show from the Warrior bench scoring 91 points and finishing off the Los Angeles Lakers 125-108.

#2 It all began Saturday night. The Golden State Warriors (1-0) played the first of five preseason games taking on the rival Los Angeles Lakers (0-1) at the Chase Center in San Francisco.

#3  In the absence of Draymond Green who missed the game due to an ankle injury, the Warriors got their first look at Chris Paul who started this game with Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson.

#4 Kevon Looney and Andrew Wiggins rounded out the starting roster. How Paul will fit in whether on the starting roster or on the bench will begin to be revealed. 

#5 The second game of the preseason will tipoff next Friday October 13 at 7:00 PM in Los Angeles at Crypto.com Arena against the Los Angeles Lakers.

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

Kings lose 112-99 to Raptors in first preseason game

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Photo credit: @SacramentoKings

By Mary Anne

The defending NBA Pacific Division champion Sacramento Kings took on the Toronto Raptors in their first preseason game on Sunday. The Kings lost 112-99 to the Raptors at Rogers Arena in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Sacramento fell to 0-1, while Toronto improved to 1-0.

Sasha Vezenkov led the Kings with 12 points and two rebounds. Harrison Barnes and Keegan Murray scored 11 points apiece.

Kings head coach Mike Brown talked to the media ahead of the team’s preseason game No. 1. Brown said: “Whoever is out on the floor, we expect them to play our basketball at the highest of high levels.”

The Kings took an early 2-0 lead thanks to Keegan Murray’s flawless finish at the rim. Murray, a power forward, was part of the 2023 NBA All-Rookie First Team. The Kings poured in the points, such as a tough pick and roll between Malik Monk and JaVale McGee, but the Raptors had an offensive boost late in the first quarter. The Kings and Raptors were tied 35-35 at the end of the first.

The Raptors went on a 6-2 run for a 41-37 lead to open the second quarter. The Kings picked up the pace. Domantas Sabonis fought through contact for a three-pointer but settled for a two-pointer to cut the Raptors’ lead to 58-52 late in the second. The Kings trailed the Raptors 69-55 at halftime.

The 2023 EuroLeague MVP, Sasha Vezenkov, entered the game late in the third quarter and scored his first NBA bucket, but the Kings fell behind. The Raptors led 90-67 with a little over two minutes left in the third. The Kings scored eight points to make it a 20-point game with 59 seconds remaining in a back-and-forth game but trailed the Raptors 95-74 at the end of the third.

The Raptors reached the 100-point mark early in the fourth quarter. The Kings trailed 102-77 with 8:06 left in the fourth, pulled within 15 with 2:54 left in regulation, and Jalen Slawson hustled to chase down a block. But the Kings’ comeback attempt ultimately failed and resulted in a 112-99 loss.

The Kings will take on the Los Angeles Lakers on Wednesday at 7:00 p.m. Pacific.

Warriors Take On Lakers In Preseason Opener With Kuminga and Moody Stealing the Show 125-108

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Golden State Warrior guard Stephen Curry (30) and his teammates knew this pre season game against the Los Angeles Lakers was a laugher at the Chase Center in San Francisco on Sat Oct 7, 2023 (@warriors photo)

By Barbara Mason

Fans got to see an incredible show from the Warrior bench scoring 91 points and finishing off the Los Angeles Lakers 125-108.

It all began Saturday night. The Golden State Warriors (1-0) played the first of five preseason games taking on the rival Los Angeles Lakers (0-1) at the Chase Center in San Francisco. In the absence of Draymond Green who missed the game due to an ankle injury, the Warriors got their first look at Chris Paul who started this game with Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson.

Kevon Looney and Andrew Wiggins rounded out the starting roster. How Paul will fit in whether on the starting roster or on the bench will begin to be revealed. The solid play of Paul is a welcome addition to the Warriors.

Paul rarely turns the ball over and with 18 years in the NBA he is a master with 21,755 points scored and 11,501 assists. Paul has played for so long at such a high level, Golden State is lucky to have him onboard. The Warriors did not see the Lakers LeBron James in this pre-season opener but saw plenty of Anthony Davis. James plans on playing in about half of the Lakers pre-season games.

Post game recap: The first quarter was all Thompson and Davis. Thompson finished the quarter with eight points and Davis with nine. The Warriors got to see 6’10” Dario Saric and 20 yr-old Brandin Podziemski off the bench.

Jonathan Kuminga finished off the quarter with his own exciting brand of play with some marque blocks, rebounds and passes just a preview of what the Warriors will see from him this season. After the opening quarter the Warriors had a 29-23 lead.

Mid-way through the second quarter the Warriors had expanded the lead to 18 points with 6:05 left in the half. The Lakers made a run as the second quarter came to an end. They had erased the Warriors 18 point lead but still trailed at the half 61-54.

Both teams played hard in this pre-season opener. It was an amazing half for the Golden State bench scoring 27 points to the Lakers 10. The Warriors bench will want to be, once again, a weapon and if this first half was any indication they will indeed be a weapon.

Thompson was the only Warrior in double digits with 10. Both Davis and D’Angelo Russell had 15 points for the Lakers. The Warriors had 11 turnovers in the first half, not unexpected in this warm up to the regular season. Both teams played with such intensity in the half it looked nothing like a preseason matchup.

After three quarters Golden State led 95-83. The Warrior bench started the quarter extending their half time lead. This amazing bench had scored 64 points going into the fourth quarter. The Golden State starters had played just a little over a quarter in this game.

The Lakers bench player Cam Reddish left the court in the quarter with a turned ankle, something you hate to see especially in the preseason. The bench finished off the game with Kuminga scoring 24 points with eight rebounds.

Moses Moody had 15 and Podziemski with 11 points. All but three of the 13 bench players who took the floor scored finishing with 91 points. The bench stole the show.

This was of course the beginning of a very long 82-game season but it was a great showing by this Warrior bench. The starters played just a little over a quarter. There is more good news for the Warriors.

It appears right now that Green will be available for the first game of the 2023-24 season. This guy is a fighter and it is no surprise that he has healed in record time. Now it remains to be seen how this team will look going into the regular season.

How will they fare on the road? Last season they won 11 road games. They were 30th in turnovers and 30th in free throws. Shot selection was terrible at times. All of this has to change in a field with so many playoff contenders.

The second game of the preseason will tipoff next Friday October 13 at 7:00 PM in Los Angeles at Crypto.com Arena.

Sacramento Kings podcast with Jeremiah Salmonson: GM McNair says Kings have that playoff caliber team coming into 2023-24

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Floor of the Sacramento Kings training facility. The Kings open up their pre season with the Toronto Raptors at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto at Sun Oct 8, 2023 (photo by the Sacramento Kings)

On the Sacramento Kings podcast with Jeremiah:

#1 Kings general manager Monte McNair said the Kings have a tangible success they can rely on coming off last season’s post season run.

#2 McNair was saying that head coach Mike Brown played a huge part in why the Kings had gone as far as they did and gave the Golden State Warriors a run for their money in the playoffs.

#3 McNair said the Kings fruits of their hard labor over the last three years is coming close to bare as they are getting close to being a Championship caliber team.

#4 Jeremiah how much credit does Mike Brown get for what he’s done to shape and build this team and how they showed the success and development that they became a playoff team.

#5 The Kings open the pre season in Toronto on Sunday for a 5:00pm tip off. Talk about some of the things that coach Brown will be looking for from his players as the Kings start pre season?

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

Golden State Warriors podcast with Jerry Feitelberg: Will Kerr returned as Warriors head coach after this season?

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Golden State Warriors head coach in confident that he and the Warriors will have an extension worked out sometime this season. Kerr is seen here taking questions following the Warriors game against the New Orleans Pelicans at the Chase Center on Mar 28, 2023 (AP file photo)

On the Warriors podcast with Jerry F:

#1 Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr’s contract is up at the end of this season. Is Kerr concerned about not getting a new deal or not?

#2 Warriors brass Joe Lacob owner and Mike Dunleavy Jr general manager are working pretty hard to present Kerr with a extension, both Lacob and Dunleavy Jr is confident they’ll get a deal done with Kerr.

#3 Kerr said he’s sure that something will get worked out and Kerr also commented, “I feel great about my position here,” Kerr said while talking to the media at the Warriors media day on Monday. “I want to be here. I know Mike and Joe want me here, and so I’m very confident something will get done. But I’m not stressed about it at all. I’m perfectly capable of coaching whether I have one year left or an extension. Makes no difference.”

#4 Kerr has been together coaching stars Draymond Green, Stephen Curry, and Klay Thompson and has no plans of breaking up that old gang anytime soon.

#5 Warriors have their first pre season game this Sat Oct 7 against LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers at Chase Center in San Francisco tip off 5:30pm PT.

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

Golden State Warriors podcast with Barbara Mason: Green injures ankle in pick up game out for four to six weeks

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 Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green celebrates after scoring against the Dallas Mavericks during the second half in Game 5 of the NBA basketball playoffs Western Conference finals in San Francisco, Thursday, May 26, 2022. Green injured his ankle in a pick up game at Chase Center in San Francisco and will miss four to six weeks due to the injury as announced Sat Sep 30, 2023 (AP News file photo)

On the Warriors podcast with Barbara:

#1 Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green who suffered an ankle sprain will be out from four to six weeks. How do you see his absence impacting the beginning of the Warriors season?

#2 Barbara, you never know what could happen in those pick up games and at Chase Center last week Green injured the ankle and the timing for Green was bad as the season is right around the corner.

#3 Green said even with the MRI you don’t see the trend of it immediately but the swelling is down. He’s encouraged but it won’t get him in the line up sooner than a month or so.

#4 Green will speak with the media on Media Day this Monday. Tuesday will be the beginning of training camp. The Warriors first pre season game is on Oct 7 and they’ll open the season against the Phoenix Suns on Oct 24th.

#5 Is Green getting too old to play this game at this level? A question no one but on one asks out loud, at 33. Green is entering his 12th season in the NBA and 2023-24 will be the first year of his four year contract. Is Green long in the tooth or does he still have it in the tank. Is this injury indicative of his body aging?

Join Barbara Mason for the Golden State Warriors podcast Mondays at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Aces Push Season Record to 12-1 With Win Over Fever 101-88

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The Las Vegas Aces center Candace Parker (3) on defense against the Indiana Fever’s center Aliyah Boston (7) at Michelob ULTRA Arena in Las Vegas on Sat Jun 24, 2023 (@LVAces photo)

Aces Push Season Record to 12-1 With Win Over Fever 101-88

By Barbara Mason

Saturday night the Las Vegas Aces (12-1) took on the Indiana Fever (5-8) at Michelob ULTRA Arena and extended an already amazing season record with a 101-88 win over the Fever.

Las Vegas took a 27-20 lead in the first quarter after a bit of a slow start. They had a seven point lead after the first quarter and won the second quarter by seven points 30-23. At the half they had control of this game leading 57-43.

The Fever made some nice adjustments in the third quarter and were able to match the Aces with both teams scoring 21 points in the quarter. Matching Las Vegas was not to going to help their cause because of the 14 point deficit at the half. After three quarters the Aces continued to lead 78-64.

With five minutes left in the game, the Fever made a bit of a move but Las Vegas always answered. The Fever have challenged the Aces this season and this game was no exception. With 3 1/2 minutes left in the game, the Fever was trailing by 11 points 93-82.

When these two teams meet it is always a battle. With two minutes left it was an eleven point game and the outcome was still not a given. The Aces stubbornly hung onto a 13 point lead and with 1:16 left in the game, the Aces would extend their season record to 12-1.

Every starter for the Aces had a double digit game. The high for the Fever was Nalyssa Smith with 26 points but they were just unable to handle Las Vegas.

A’Ja Wilson had yet another double-double with ten rebounds and 28 points. Kelsey Plum was right on her heels with 26 points. Jackie Young had a bit of a slow night but as we have seen time and time again, when one player has a bit of an off game, the rest of the team is there to pick them up. That is the depth of the Las Vegas Aces.

There will be no rest for the Fever. These two teams will meet again on Monday night in Las Vegas. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:00 PM.

Golden State Warriors podcast with David Zizmor: How Warriors Chris Paul fits into Golden State’s plans

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Former Phoenix Suns guard Chris Paul moves the ball up court against the Los Angeles Clippers during the second half of Game 5 of a first-round NBA basketball playoff series April 25, 2023, in Phoenix. Paul joined the Golden State Warriors last Thu Jun 22, 2023. (AP News photo)

On the Warriors podcast with David Zizmor:

#1 David how important was it for Golden State to pick up long time veteran Chris Paul from the Phoenix Suns and how do you see him fitting in.

#2 I know you talked about Jordan Poole during the post season and said his just couldn’t get his game going and it was as if he was just there but not there. Did the Draymond Green punch from the beginning of the season play into his mental make up or there was enough water under that bridge for him to make that up and get with the program?

#3 David talk about the Warriors draft picks and how they’ll help out for next season.

Join David Zizmor for updated reports on the Golden State Warriors and San Francisco 49ers podcasts at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Golden State Warriors podcast on David Zizmor: Green to seek offers elsewhere; Team is deep in NBA luxury tax

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Golden State Warriors guard Draymond Green seen here addressing the media Sat Apr 22, 2023 at the Chase Center concerning stepping on the chest of the Sacramento Kings Domantas Sabonis during the NBA Playoffs. Green who is entering free agency is a strong possibility towards leaving Golden State for a bigger deal. (AP News file)

On the Golden State Warriors podcast David Zizmor:

#1 On Draymond Green he’s looking at entering unrestricted free agency and had declined a player option.

#2 Green is expected to decline a $27.6 million player option for the 2023-24 season. Mike Dunleavy Jr the Warriors general manager said that Green crucial to the team. Would Green have a hard time finding another deal on the open market that would be much like his player option like he has at Golden State?

#3 Warriors head coach Steve Kerr and Dunleavy made it clear on Tuesday that the Warriors can’t get their season and their dynasty started without Green who they say is their emotional leader and best defender. Green would have to take a pay cut in order to return and he had a close relationship with former general manager Bob Myers. Would you lean towards the direction that Green will leave the team?

Join David Zizmor Wednesdays for all the latest at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Golden State Warriors podcast with David Zizmor: Time will tell what kind of a GM Dunleavy will be

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New Golden State Warriors general manager Mike Dunleavy Jr enjoys a box of popcorn with a youngster in this Feb 19, 2019 photo. Dunleavy takes over as general manager in the 2023-24 season. (AP News file photo)

On the Warriors podcast with David Zizmor:

#1 Golden State Warriors general manager Mike Dunleavy Jr takes over as former general manager Bob Myers left the job and will be doing other administrative work with the Warriors. What are the differences of Dunleavy and Myers in managing?

#2 This last season Dunleavy has taken over some of the duties for Myers taking road trips and attending NBA meetings and being a presence.

#3 Myers said at his last press conference as GM about the idea of Dunleavy taking over as great and it was his call to take the job.

David Zizmor is a Golden State Warriors analyst for http://www.sportsradioservice.com