Category: NBA

Golden State Warriors podcast with Barbara Mason: No.7 Warriors know each win is crucial; Golden State hosts Portland Tuesday

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Golden State Warriors guard Donte DiVincenzo (0) gestures after making a 3-point basket during the first half at the Chase Center in San Francisco on Sun Feb 26, 2023 (AP News photo)

On the Warriors podcast with Barbara Mason:

#1 Barbara just how important was this win for the Golden State Warriors (31-30), the playoff spots in the Western Conference are tight and winning is the alternative as Golden State got a big one over the Minnesota Timberwolves (31-32) on Sunday night 109-104.

#2 The Warriors have been using a big chunk of their bench while starters Andrew Wiggins and Stephen Curry are out of action.

#3 The Warriors Klay Thomson topped the top of the leaderboard 32 points and four assists Thompson has take over the offense in particular with Curry being out.

#4 Kevon Looney continues to play consistent ball with 17 points and has scored at least 13 or more in the last six straight games the Warriors have been some close games and Looney has been key in keeping them in the game.

#5 The Portland Trailblazers (29-31) who’ve won five of their last five games tip off against the Warriors this Tuesday night at Chase Center . Barbara talk about this game as you see it?

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

Kings Wins Third Game In A Row Defeating Thunder 124-115

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The Sacramento Kings guard De’Aaron Fox (5) goes for the two pointer against the Oklahoma City Thunder’s guard Isiah Joe (left) in Oklahoma City on Sun Feb 26, 2023 (AP News photo)

Kings Wins Third Game In A Row Defeating Thunder 124-115

By Barbara Mason

Coming off of what has got to be the craziest game of this NBA season, the Sacramento Kings (35-25) took on the OKC Thunder (28-32) at Paycom Center Sunday night. The double overtime game the Kings played on Friday night was the second highest scoring contest in NBA history. The Kings won that game over the Clippers 176-175 in a real thriller. They got one day of rest yesterday before heading to Oklahoma to take on the Thunder and picked up their third win in row 124-115.

The Kings got a nice start in the first quarter winning it 36-26. De’Aaron Fox was on fire from the get go and did not take his foot off the pedal through the first half. After two quarters the Kings led 58-50 even though the Thunder won the second quarter 24-22.

OKC continued to push back winning the third quarter 40-36. The Kings still had the lead after three quarters but it was becoming uncomfortably close at 94-90.

Sacramento got some great play off the bench from Trey Lyles and Malik Monk and Fox continued to drain shot after shot in the fourth quarter. With under two minutes the Kings held onto an eight lead 120-112. The nine point win in favor of the Kings for their 35th win of the season.

It was another monster game for Domantas Sabonis with another double double and the man of the hour was Fox with yet another thirty plus game finishing with 33. The guy is a master on offense, defense and at the line. He leads the NBA in clutch points which we saw tonight. Off the bench Lyles had 16 points.

If there was any negative for Sacramento in this game it had to be the uncharacteristic number of turnovers with 20. That most certainly will be addressed before they take the court again.

Tuesday night the Kings will meet in a second game against the Thunder at Paycom looking to win a fourth game in a row since the break. Tipoff is scheduled for 5:00 PM.

Kings Battle Through Double Overtime To Beat Clippers 176-175

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Sacramento Kings guard De’Aaron Fox, left, celebrates after scoring as Los Angeles Clippers forward Marcus Morris Sr. stands in the background during the second half at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles on Fri Feb 24, 2023 (AP News photo)

Kings Battle Through Double Overtime To Beat Clippers 176-175

By Barbara Mason

Friday night the Sacramento Kings (34-25) took on the Los Angeles Clippers (33-29) at Crypto. com Arena in Los Angeles. The Kings are coming off a win over the Portland Trail Blazers 133-116. De’Aaron Fox scored 31 points in that game and Domantas Sabonis had his seventh triple-double of the season.

They will need more of the same against the Clippers. This was a huge game for the Kings. Right now they were holding onto third place in the Western Conference 1 1/2 games ahead of Los Angeles.

The addition of Russell Westbrook to the Clippers was just one of the many challenges that the Kings faced in this game and they got through it with NBA All Star game type final score Kings edging the Clippers 176-175.

Game recap: Sacramento had a great start knocking down three straight shots from downtown in the first quarter. With 7:39 left in the first 12 minutes the Kings had only missed two shots and led 21-16. They were shooting 66.7% from the field and 60% from downtown.

The Kings were having great success shooting the three ball but as the quarter wore down, the Clippers Paul George, Kawhi Leonard and Westbrook really began to flex their muscles. After the opening quarter, this game was tied at 40. The second quarter was close for the most part.

At 5:41 the Clippers had a nine point lead 64-55 but the Kings battled back and at the half trailed by four points 80-76. Fox had the high for the Kings with 16 points. Malik Monk had 13 off the bench and starter Domantas Sabonis had 12 points and 7 rebounds.

The Clippers threatened to take control of this game in the third quarter leading at one time by 12 points but the King fought back throughout the quarter. After three quarters the Clippers hung onto a 117-110 lead.

At 7:26 in the fourth quarter the Kings trailed by a single point 130-129. The Clippers were highly favored to win this game but the Kings were stubbornly hanging around throughout this game. Shots from the field were even but the Clippers were having a hay day from downtown shooting at 63.2% to the Kings 44.1% giving the Clippers a huge edge. The Kings would pull to within a single point 149-148 with 33 seconds left in play. As regulation came to an end this game was tied at 153 and the two teams went into overtime.

We would see if the Kings had enough left in the tank after battling from behind throughout much of the game. With 20.4 seconds left in overtime this game was tied at 164. The two teams would take this battle into a second overtime. With 36 seconds left on the clock the Kings had a one point lead.

This was a highly competitive game between the third and fifth place teams in the Western Conference.

Fox would finish the game with 42 points and Monk off the bench had the high for the team with 45 points. Every starter for the Kings finished in double digits.

Sunday the Kings will travel to Oklahoma to take on the Thunder. Tipoff is scheduled for 4:00 PM.

Thompson’s big night leads Warriors to win over Rockets; Understaffed Golden State defeats Houston 116-101

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Golden State Warriors guard Jordan Poole (3) celebrates with Klay Thompson, left, after scoring a 3-point basket against the Houston Rockets during the first half at the Chase Center in San Francisco on Fri Feb 24, 2023 (AP News photo)

By Jerry Feitelberg

The understaffed Golden State Warriors faced off against the young Houston Rockets Friday night at the Chase Chase. The Warriors were without Stephen Curry, Andrew Wiggins(for personal reasons), and Draymond Green, out with a knee contusion suffered in the loss to the Lakers Thursday night in Los Angeles. 

Warriors’ head coach Steve Kerr had Jonathan Kuminga fill in for Green. Donte DiVincenzo replaced Andrew Wiggins in the lineup. Poole and Klay Thompson were in the backcourt. The Rockets arrived in town owning a seven-game losing streak. Their coach, Stephen Silas, hoped his young troops could pull off the upset. The Rockets gave the Warriors a tussle in the first quarter, but the defending NBA champions, behind Thompson’s stellar performance, pulled out a win beating Houston 116-101.

The Rockets had an early lead, 12-5. The Warriors regained the lead 17-16, and the fans started thinking that the Warriors would easily beat the Rockets. That didn’t happen as the teams battled to a 26-26 tie at the end of the first quarter.

Things changed in the second quarter. Thompson got into a rhythm and knocked down four threes to lead the Warriors to a 66-49 advantage at the end of the first half. Poole had two threes, and DiVincenzo made four threes. The Warriors outscored the Rockets 40-23 in the second period.

The Warriors did not put the game away in the third quarter. The Warriors started giving the Rockets opportunities to score points. The Warriors committed too many turnovers, allowing the Rockets to shave eight points off the Warriors halftime advantage. The Warriors led by nine heading into the fourth quarter.

The Warriors had an answer. His name is Klay Thompson. Thompson, playing in back-to-back games for just the second time this season, continued to knock down three-point shots. With his 12th three of the night, the Warriors led 116-99. The game was over. The Warriors went on to win.

Game Notes: With the win, the Warriors are now 30-30. The Rockets lost their eighth in a row, and their season record in now 13-46.

The Warriors had four players in double-figures. Thompson led the way with 42 points. His 12 three-pointers were two short of his NBA record of 14. Thompson did not have a two-point bucket all night. His other six points were free throws. Poole and DiVincenzo each had 15. Poole made two threes, while DiVincenzo had five. The other player in double-figure was Patrick Baldwin, Jr. PBJ made three threes.

The Rockets had five players in double figures. Jabari Smith, in his rookie season, had 13. Kenyon Marttin, Jr., 22. Jae’Sean Tate, 14, TyTy Washington, Jr., 15, and Josh Christoper, 13.

The Warriors shot 47% from the floor. They made 26 three in 47 tries. The big negative of the night was the 18 turnovers.

The Warriors meet the Minnesota Timberwolves Sunday night at the Chase Center. The game will start at 5:30m pm.

Sacramento Kings podcast with Jeremiah Salmonson: Kings on back to back nights battle Clippers tonight in Southland

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Portland Trail Blazers guard Keon Johnson drives to the basket past Sacramento Kings forward Domantas Sabonis (10) during the first quarter at the Golden 1 Center in Sacramento (AP News photo)

On the Kings podcast with Jeremiah:

#1 The Sacramento Kings (33-25) were sloppy with the ball on offense, and the defense was nonexistent. It makes it even worse that Portland Trailblazers (28-31) didn’t have a single starter in the game. They were all resting due to the plane ride delays and injuries in spite of all of that the Kings mastered a pretty sizable win 133-116 at Golden 1 Center Thursday night.

#2 In the second quarter, the Kings played much more competitively. They sharpened up the defensive side of the ball a little bit.

#3 In the third quarter, the Kings and Blazers both scored 34 points. It was an uneventful quarter in which neither team played any defense. The Kings offense stayed hot after a sizzling second quarter.

#4 In the fourth quarter, the Kings efficiently handled the Blazers. The Kings outscored the Blazers 33-25 in the final quarter to defeat them. It was a solid win for the Kings. 

#5 The Sacramento Kings take on the Los Angeles Clippers tonight at 730 PM PST at Crypto.com Arena in the Southland.

Join Jeremiah for the Sacramento Kings podcasts Fridays at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Golden State Warriors podcast with David Zizmor: Warriors really feeling the absence of Curry and Wiggins

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The Los Angeles Lakers LeBron James wasn’t blowing smoke as he and the Lakers defeated the Golden State Warriors at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles on Thu Feb 23, 2023 (AP News photo)

On the Warriors podcast with David:

#1 Golden State needed to turn their defense around, protect the ball and make the most of every possession tried as they may the Lakers came away with a 124-111 win against Golden State at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles.

#2 The team will still be without Stephen Curry and Andrew Wiggins will also be out for personal reasons with no return date right now.

#3 After the first 12 minutes, the Warriors were trailing 31-23. While Golden State did not get the hot start that they were looking for, they did get a decent start. They needed to be better in transition and protect the ball.

Join David Zizmor for the Golden State Warrior podcasts each Wednesday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Fox rains baskets on Trailblazers in Kings 133-116 win at Golden One

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Sacramento Kings guard De’Aaron Fox (5) reacts after scoring a basket against Portland Trail Blazers forward Nassir Little (10) during the second quarter at Golden 1 Center on Thu Feb 23, 2023 (USA Today photo)

By Jeremiah Salmonson

SACRAMENTO–The Sacramento Kings (33-25)were back in town on Thursday night after the All-Star break. The Kings last played against the Phoenix Suns on the road on Saturday, the 14th. The Kings did not play well in the valley of the sun as they lost to the Suns 120-109.

The Kings sent four players to the All-Star festivities. De’Aaron Fox and Domas Sabonis as reserves, Keegan Murray in the rising stars game, and Kevin Huerter in the three-point contest. On Thursday, the Kings looked to get the unofficial second half underway as the Portland Trail Blazers. Tip-off was set for 7 PM PST in Sacramento. The Kings downed the Trail Blazers (28-31) by the final of 133-116.

In the first quarter, the Kings played terribly. It was one of the worst quarters of the year for the Kings. They were outscored 37-26, but that didn’t tell the whole story. The Kings were sloppy with the ball on offense, and the defense was nonexistent. It makes it even worse that Portland didn’t have a single starter in the game. They were all resting due to the plane ride delays and injuries.

In the second quarter, the Kings played much more competitively. They sharpened up the defensive side of the ball a little bit. However, the defense was still bad. The improvement came on the offensive end as the shots started to fall more for the Kings. In the second quarter, the Kings outscored the Blazers 37-20 to take the lead into the second half. D Fox led the way with 11 points in the first half. Nassir Little led the way for the Blazers with 12 points in the first half.

In the third quarter, the Kings and Blazers both scored 34 points. It was an uneventful quarter in which neither team played any defense. The Kings offense stayed hot after a sizzling second quarter. You have to give the Blazers second unit credit in the game. With the lack of most of the starters, the Blazers held their own. The Kings looked to close out Portland in the final quarter. The score after three was Kings up 100-91.

In the fourth quarter, the Kings efficiently handled the Blazers. The Kings outscored the Blazers 33-25 in the final quarter to defeat them. It was a solid win for the Kings. Some would even say a great win for the Kings. In times of old, the Kings would lose this game.

The 2021 and 2022 Sacramento lose this game. However, after starting the game poorly, the Kings managed to come back and defeat the short-handed Portland team. The Kings did what good teams are supposed to do. Leading the way for the Kings was All-Star Fox, who scored 31 points.

The performance by Fox is not to be overshadowed by the 18-point triple-double by Sabonis. It was an excellent win for the Kings, who did nothing at the deadline and hope for a playoff birth. Let the race to the postseason begin.

Up Next: The Sacramento Kings will fly to LA to take on the Clippers on Friday night at 730 PM PST.

Lakers Bulldoze Warriors 124-111

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Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James, center, shoots as Golden State Warriors forward Kevon Looney, right, defends during the first half at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles on Thu Feb 23, 2023 (AP News photo)

Lakers Bulldoze Warriors 124-111

By Barbara Mason

Thursday night the Golden State Warriors (29-30) took on the Los Angeles Lakers (28-32) at Crypto. com Arena. With only 24 games left in the regular season, this was a must win for the Warriors as is every game going forward. Golden State needed to turn their defense around, protect the ball and make the most of every possession tried as they may the Lakers came away with a 124-111 win against Golden State at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles. The team will still be without Stephen Curry and Andrew Wiggins will also be out for personal reasons with no return date right now.

After the first 12 minutes, the Warriors were trailing 31-23. While Golden State did not get the hot start that they were looking for, they did get a decent start. They needed to be better in transition and protect the ball.

WIth 4:36 left in the second quarter the Lakers took a 51-38 lead, their largest of the game. The Warriors were having trouble getting clean looks. The Laker defense was on point forcing Golden State to take some ill-advised shots. The Warriors played their best basketball in the final two minutes of the half.

They trailed 59-56 after having trailed by fourteen points in the quarter. Jordan Poole who had a slow start hit a couple of three’s in the later minutes of the second quarter and finished the half with 15 points, the high score for the Warriors.

The Lakers quickly extended the three point lead they had at the half. They were destroying the Warriors in transition and with 6:47 left in the third quarter had their largest lead of the game 79-63. Despite a very quiet night for LeBron James the Lakers led after three quarters 95-80.

The Lakers continued to build on their lead in the fourth quarter and with ten minutes left in the game had a 20 point lead 102-82. The Warriors could not buy a basket in this final quarter and the Lakers continued to pound Golden State. The Warriors had trailed by 28 and had cut the deficit in half but it was too little too late.

Klay Thompson had the high score for the Warriors with 22 points and off the bench Ty Jerome finished with 20 points. Once again the Warriors defense fell short. Los Angeles outplayed them offensively and defensively.

The high score for the Lakers was Malik Beasley with 25 points. The Los Angeles bench had a great night with 68 points collectively.

After dropping their first game after the All-Star game, the Warriors now have a chance to grab some wins playing their next five game at Chase Center. Friday night the Warriors will take on the Houston Rockets in the first game of this homestand. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:00 PM.

Golden State Warriors podcast with Jerry Feitelberg: How Wiggins out of the line up impacts Golden State going against Lakers tonight

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Golden State Warriors forward Andrew Wiggins (22) shoots against Washington Wizards center Kristaps Porzingis, left, during the first half at the Chase Center in San Francisco on Tue Feb 13, 2023. This would be Wiggins last game as he has been out due to personal reasons. (AP News photo)

On the Warriors podcast with Jerry Feitelberg:

#1 Jerry, first of all as you know Andrew Wiggins was out of the line up for their last game just before the All Star break on Tue Feb 14 vs. the Los Angeles Clippers a game the Warriors lost by ten 134-124.

#2 Wiggins has been listed out of the line up because of undisclosed personal reasons. As to how long Wiggins will be out of the line up the Warriors don’t even know yet.

#3 Jerry what dimension does Wiggins bring to the Warriors game and how will head coach Steve Kerr compensate for his absence?

#4 Wiggins has missed 21 games this season and a bulk of those come in December and that was a month that Stephen Curry missed a good number of games and now both are out starting the second half of the season.

#5 The Warriors host the Los Angeles Lakers tonight at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles. The Warriors have lost five of their last ten games and the Lakers have lost four of their last ten games. How do you see this battle tonight?

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

NBA podcast with Barbara Mason: Break gladly welcomed by NBA players

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The Vivint Arena is shown during the transformation taking place inside the arena before the start of the NBA basketball All-Star weekend Wednesday, Feb. 15, 2023, in Salt Lake City (AP News photo)

On the NBA podcast with Barbara Mason:

#1 This year’s captains based on the number of votes were Giannis Antetokounmpo and the incomparable LeBron James. Team Giannis defeated Team LeBron 184-175.

#2 The first quarter was as close as a game could be. Giannis hit the first basket of the game and seconds later “King James” tied up the game. 

#3 At halftime Team Giannis led 99-92. They won the second quarter 53-46 and along with it the $100,000 going to “Raise the Future”.

#4 The second half was played without their captains. James had sustained a hand issue while dunking in the first half and so the two captains watched from the bench. The MVP award went to Jason Tatum who broke the all-time scoring record. 

#5 It was a great evening for all the fans in person and watching from their living rooms. The greatest names in the world of basketball put on an exciting show as we have seen year after year.

Barbara Mason covered the NBA All Star game for http://www.sportsradioservice.com