Category: NBA

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

Tatum Leads Team Giannis To Victory 184-175

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Team Giannis forward Jayson Tatum (0) drives during the first half of the NBA basketball All-Star game Sunday, Feb. 19, 2023, in Salt Lake City (AP News photo)

Jayson Tatum Leads Team Giannis To Victory

By Barbara Mason

Sunday evening the NBA All-Star Game took place after an amazing weekend of events. This was the 72nd year that this event has taken place, this year held in Salt Lake City. This game got underway after Mac McClung blew the crowd away on Saturday night winning the Dunk Contest with a run of spotless scores.

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.

The two captains for the first time ever, drafted their teams just ahead of the game. They first selected from the reserve pool and then chose from the players named All-Start starters.

Giannis Antetokounmpo took the stage with his very own playbook. The reserve players he chose were Damian Lillard, Jrue Holiday, Shai Gilgeous- Alexander, DeMar Derozen, Pascal Siakam, Bam Adebayo and Domantas Sabonis. His starters were Jason Tatum, Ja Morant, Donovan Mitchell and Lauri Markanen.

LeBron James chose Anthony Edwards, Jaylen Brown, Paul George, Julius Randle, De’Aaron Fox and Jaren Jackson Jr., Tyrese Haliburton as his reserve players. His starters were Joel Embiid, Kyrie Irving, Luca Doncic and Nikola Jokic.

“Big Brothers Big Sisters” was the charity chosen by Team LeBron and “Raise the Future” was Team Giannis’ choice.

The first quarter was as close as a game could be. Giannis Antetokounmpo hit the first basket of the game and seconds later “King James” tied up the game. The contest would pivot back and forth with neither team taking more than a three point lead. After the first 12 minutes the game was dead even 46-46 and the two teams would split the cash for the opening quarter. Each of their charities would receive $50,000.

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”.

The third quarter went to team Giannis 59-49 and they were on a roll leading 158-141. The target score was set in the fourth quarter at 182 with no commercials and no clock. Jayson Tatum tore through the second half of play with 55 points. Damian Lillard hit the winning three, the final 184-175 in favor of Team Giannis. They would earn $550,000 for “Raise the Future” and team LeBron would come away with $200,000 for “Big Brothers Big Sisters.”

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. Tatum had a lot of help from Donovan Mitchell with 40 points. On team LeBron the high score was Jaylen Brown off the bench with 35 points. Kyrie Irving and Joel Embiid both came away with 32 points.

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. It was a great night out for not only the fans but the players as well.

These players will now head back to continue the 2022- 23 season with games resuming this coming Thursday.

Sacramento Kings podcast with Jeremiah Salmonson: Fox and Sabonis look forward to representing Kings at All Star game

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Sacramento Kings Domantas Sabonis (left) and De’Aaron Fox (right) will represent the Kings at the NBA All Star Game this weekend on Sun Feb 19, 2023 in Florida (photo from NBC Sports Northern California)

On the Kings podcast with Jeremiah:

#1 Jeremiah, the first half of the season ended for the Sacramento Kings (32-25) not so well in Phoenix as the Kings were defeated rather handedly by the Phoenix Suns (32-27) at Footprint Arena on Tuesday night.

#2 The Kings by and large did get some high scoring by De’Aaron Fox with 35 points and Domantas Sabonis with 24 points but it wasn’t enough to win the game for the Kings.

#3 The key part of the Suns victory was they kept the Kings from scoring by some double teaming and strangling the paint the Kings for some crucial parts of the game got their inside game shutdown.

#4 On defense for the Kings couldn’t plug up the hole for the Suns Devon Booker 32 points and Deandre Ayton with 29 points.

#5 Fox and Sabonis are representing the Kings at the NBA All Star game this Sunday Feb 19th talk about the season they’ve both been having and what you look forward to see them doing this weekend at the NBA All Star game.

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

Golden State Warriors podcast with Jerry Feitelberg: Warriors end first half with loss to Clippers; Lack of defense plays a big part in loss

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Try as they may the Golden State Warriors battled through their contest against the Los Angeles Clippers at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles on Tue Feb 14, 2023 (AP News photo)

On the Warriors podcast with Jerry F:

#1 Tuesday night the Golden State Warriors (29-29) took on the Los Angeles Clippers (32-28) at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles and couldn’t hold on getting beat by ten points 134-124. 

#2 The Clippers took an early lead in the opening quarter 31-23. Los Angeles kept pushing taking a ten-point lead before the Warriors began to turn things around.

#3 They won the second quarter 42-30 and had four players in double digits, Jordan Poole, Jonathan Kuminga and Anthony Lamb all had scored 11 points. Donte DiVincenzo had ten points and the tide of this game had turned in the second quarter. 

#4 The Warriors offense went cold in the fourth quarter. Golden State ran into a fully loaded Clipper team and suffered their 29th loss of the season 134-124.

#5 Next game for the Warriors Thu Feb 23 at Crypto Arena in Los Angeles against the Los Angeles Lakers. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:00 PM.

Jerry Feitelberg does the Golden State Warriors podcasts Thursdays at http://www.sportsradioservice.com