Category: NBA

Warriors Handle Utah 129-117

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Golden State Warriors guard Klay Thompson (11) drives past Utah Jazz forward Lauri Markkanen, right, during the first half at the Chase Center in San Francisco on Fri Nov 25, 2022 (AP News photo)

Warriors Handle Utah 129-117

By Barbara Mason

Friday night the Golden State Warriors (10-10) defeated the Utah Jazz (12-9) 129-117 at Chase Center. The Warriors are coming off a 124-107 win over the Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday. The Jazz last game was a loss at the hands of the Detroit Piston 125-116.

The Warriors had a great start winning the first quarter 37-23 really taking it to the Jazz. Golden State had a 59-51 lead at the half. It had been a slow start for Klay Thompson and the team would need him in the second half.

The Warriors built on that halftime lead winning the third quarter 38-35 and leading after three 97-86. Thompson had to get involved in this game and he sure did in the third quarter. He got going with 2:39 left and it was lights out for Thompson sinking shot after shot from downtown.

We saw a furious pace explode from both teams in the fourth quarter. The Warriors continued to hold a ten plus lead throughout the quarter. The Jazz were unable to cut the deficit. Both Stephen Curry and Thompson were shooting at 50% from downtown extending the Warriors lead 100-116 with 6:44 left in the game. Golden State had defended the three well in this game holding the Jazz to 27%.

With under five minutes left the Warriors had their biggest lead of the game 121-102. The Jazz made a bit of a run, a 9-0 run but it was to no avail. Every time the Jazz got going, the Warriors would answer and most of the time it was via a shot from downtown.

The Warriors have now won two games in a row, not surprising since they were at Chase. Golden State has looked like world champions in their last two games. Every starter in tonight’s game finished with double digits. Curry had 33 points, Andrew Wiggins with 20 and Thompson with 20. Jordan Poole was again terrific with 19 points off the bench.

The Warriors will next go on the road taking on the Minnesota Timberwolves Sunday afternoon. Tipoff is scheduled for 12:30 PM.

Celtics Blow-Out Kings 122-104

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The Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum (0) takes a drive around the Sacramento Kings guard Kevin Huerter, left during Fri Nov 25, 2022 game at TD Garden on Fri Nov 25, 2022 (AP News photo)

Celtics Blow-Out Kings 122-104

By Barbara Mason

Friday night the Sacramento Kings (10-8) traveled to Boston to take on the Celtics (15-4) at TD Garden. The Kings are coming off a loss to Atlanta 115-106 from Wednesday night. The red-hot Celtics came into this game after beating the Mavericks 125-112 last Wednesday. The Celtics are the third best three point shooting team in the NBA and were a tough assignment for Sacramento beating the Kings 122-104 Friday night.

Game recap: The first quarter was all Boston winning it 34-23. The Kings had ten turnovers which turned into 11 Celtic points and De’Aaron Fox did not score until the final 1:31 of the quarter.

They would need Fox if they had any hopes of beating the Celtics. The Kings also needed to limit the turnovers because you are not going to beat many teams committing ten turnovers let alone a team with the talent of Boston.

The Kings really settled down in the second quarter. With two minutes left in the half they trailed by a single point. After a terrible start to this game the Kings trailed by a couple 64-62 at halftime in a huge turnaround. Fox came to life with 14 points, 11 of them in the second quarter and Domantas Sabonis had 12 points.

The Kings had great work off the bench from Malik Monk hitting nine points and Davion Mitchell with 10. In the second quarter the Kings only had two turnovers.

The Celtics went on a 16-0 run to end the third quarter leading by the score of 94-84. At 10:12 the Kings tied up the game and actually took the lead for a time but it was short-lived as Boston went on the crazy run.

Boston took this game over leaving the Kings in the dust as they distanced themselves from Sacramento. With 4:30 left in the game the score was 115-90 in a blow-out. The Celtics had gone on a 37-6 run and it was all but finished for the Kings. The Kings went on a slight run but it was far too little too late. The final was 122-104.

The Kings have now lost two in a row, They will next take on the Phoenix Suns Monday night at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:00 PM.

Sacramento Kings podcast with Jeremiah Salmonson: Kings seven game win streak snapped but not drive and determination

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Atlanta Hawks forward AJ Griffin (14) attempts to pass during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Sacramento Kings in Atlanta on Wed Nov 23, 2022 (AP News photo)

On Sacramento Kings podcasts with Jeremiah Salmonson:

#1 Wednesday night the Sacramento Kings (10-7) took on the Atlanta Hawks (11-7) at State Farm Arena. The Kings are coming off a win over Memphis Tuesday 113-109 while the Hawks lost to the Cavaliers on Monday 114-102.

#2 The Kings trailed at the half 72-57. Sacramento lost the first quarter 35-26 and the second quarter 37-31. The Kings were struggling defensively and were challenged in trying to contain the Hawks Trae Young.

#3 Although the Kings dominated in the paint it was those turnovers that really hurt them in this game. De’Aaron Fox had a slow start but finished with 18. Malik Monk had a monster game with 27 points off the bench. 

#4 Young had 35 points for Atlanta getting open consistently throughout the entire game. The Hawks didn’t have a great fourth quarter but the Kings just didn’t take advantage of their let-down.

#5  Friday night the Kings will travel to Boston to take on the Celtics at TD Garden. They will get a chance to rest tomorrow after taking on this challenging road trip. Tipoff is scheduled for 5:00 PM.

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

Golden State Warriors podcast with Jerry Feitelberg: Warriors don’t allow Clippers any ground in 124-107 win

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Golden State Warriors forward Andrew Wiggins (22) smiles after making a 3-point basket against the Los Angeles Clippers at the Chase Center in San Francisco on Wed Nov 23, 2022 (AP News photo)

On the Warriors podcast with Jerry F:

#1 Jerry, the Golden State Warrior (9-10) Andrew Wiggins lead with 31 points a season high as the Warriors defeated the Los Angeles Clippers (11-8) at the Chase Center 124-107.

#2 Wiggins shot 12-18 and for the second time tied his totals for most three points this season with six and also scored 20 or more points in his third straight game.

#3 Warriors guard Stephen Curry whose been under FTX litigation threats didn’t let that bother him a bit scoring second on the Warriors leaderboard with 22 points.

#4 Klay Thompson finished with 18 points and was really excited about his accomplishments on Wednesday night. Thompson raised his arms to get the fans pumped up after a one handed slam dunk.

#5 The Utah Jazz (12-8) have lost five of their last seven games. The Jazz lost to the Detroit Pistons in their last game 125-116. The Jazz tip off with the Warriors this Friday night at 7:00pm at Chase Center.

Join Jerry for the Warriors podcast at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Warriors roll over Clippers 124-107

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Golden State Warriors guard Klay Thompson gets the fans in a frenzy after scoring against the Los Angeles Clippers at the Chase Center in San Francisco on Wed Nov 23, 2022 (AP News photo)

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Golden State Warriors returned home to host the Los Angeles Clippers at the Chase Center Wednesday night. Warriors head coach Steve Kerr wanted his team to improve in three facets of the game. He wanted the Warriors to cut down on fouling, stop turning over the ball, and play better defense.

Without Kawhi Leonard and Paul George, the Clippers were hoping their second-best defense in the NBA would find a way to slow down the Warrior offense. The Wariors played better defense and cut down on the number of turnovers but committed 26 fouls, allowing the Clippers to take 27 free throws. The Clippers made 18. The Warriors responded as they moved the ball well and found the open man to propel them to a 124-107 victory.

Klay Thompson led the Warriors offense in the first quarter. Thompson played well. Thompson had 15 points and made two threes. Stephen Curry had seven. The Warriors won the quarter 32-29. In the second quarter, the second unit increased the lead to 50-42. When Curry, Andrew Wiggins, and Draymond Green returned, the Warriors went on an 18-4 run to finish the first half leading 66-47. Wiggins and Thompson each had 15 in the half. Curry had 11. None of the Clipper starters were in double figures.

The Clippers knew they had to outplay the Warriors in the third period if they hoped to get back in the game. They cut the lead to nine, 87-79, but Curry knocked down two three to help the Warriors increase the lead to 16, 98-82, at the end of three periods.

Wiggins hot the hot hand. Wiggins paced the Warriors in the fourth quarter. The big three, Curry, Thompson, and Wiggins, made three-pointers to give the Warriors a commanding 29-point advantage of 119-90.Kerr pulled his starters from the game. The Clippers continued to fight hard, but they could not overcome the Warriors’ lead. Kerr inserted his bench warmers to finish the game’s last four minutes. The Warriors win 124-107.

Game Notes and stats: The Warriors won for the sixth time in their last eight games. Their record is 9-10. The Warriors have won seven straight at home. Los Angeles falls to 11-8.

Wiggins was the offensive force for Golden State with points, four rebounds, and two assists. Wiggins made six threes. Curry had 22 points, six rebounds, and nine assists. Thompson had 18, Green had nine points, seven rebounds, and 12 assists. The Warriors shot 49.5% from the floor. They made 19 threes. 

Marcus Morris led LA with 19. Terance Mann had 17, Amir Coffey had 13, Reggie Jackson 11, and John Wall nine. Norman Powell, coming off the bench, knocked down 17. The Clippers shot 44.8% from the floor and made 11 threes. 

The Warriors host the Utah Jazz at the Chase Center Friday night. The game will start at 7 pm.

Kings Winning Streak Halted At Seven- Losing To Hawks 115-106

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Atlanta Hawks guard Trae Young (11) guards the ball against Sacramento Kings guard Kevin Huerter (9) during the first half at Atlanta on Wed Nov 24, 2022 (AP News photo)

Kings Winning Streak Halted At Seven- Losing To Hawks 115-106

By Barbara Mason

Wednesday night the Sacramento Kings (10-7) took on the Atlanta Hawks (11-7) at State Farm Arena. The Kings are coming off a win over Memphis Tuesday 113-109 while the Hawks lost to the Cavaliers on Monday 114-102.

The Kings trailed at the half 72-57. Sacramento lost the first quarter 35-26 and the second quarter 37-31. The Kings were struggling defensively and were challenged in trying to contain the Hawks Trae Young. The Kings had a lot of trouble getting those three’s to fall as they missed shot after shot from downtown. Turnovers were also mounting as the game went on.

The Kings made up some ground in the third quarter winning it 31-25.

Sacramento got to within seven points in the fourth quarter but the Hawks answered every time extending their lead with shots from outside. As the clock began to wear down, the Kings had 19 turnovers which Atlanta took advantage of to the tune of 17 points.

The Kings seven game winning streak was in jeopardy with 2:39 left in the game. Sacramento had so many opportunities but their downfall beyond the turnovers were the missed three’s. They were eight of 29 from downtown. With 48.6 left on the clock Young said good night to the Kings with yet another shot from downtown. The final was 115-106.

Although the Kings dominated in the paint it was those turnovers that really hurt them in this game. De’Aaron Fox had a slow start but finished with 18. Malik Monk had a monster game with 27 points off the bench. The Kings were sluggish out of the gate and just weren’t able to get going.

Young had 35 points for Atlanta getting open consistently throughout the entire game. The Hawks didn’t have a great fourth quarter but the Kings just didn’t take advantage of their let-down. Friday night the Kings will travel to Boston to take on the Celtics at TD Garden. They will get a chance to rest tomorrow after taking on this challenging road trip. Tipoff is scheduled for 5:00 PM.

Living Up To The Hype: Kings slighty different than advertised in 113-109 win over the Grizzlies

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By Morris Phillips

All of a sudden the Sacramento Kings are so good, they…

Don’t need to depend on their prolific scoring to win games. In Tuesday’ 113-109 thriller at the Grindhouse in Memphis, they put up a “mere” 113 points, the lowest point total in any of their ten victories this season. And yes, the defense was present. The formidable Grizzlies were held to 17 points in the decisive, third quarter in which they missed seven of eight 3-point attempts.

“I thought our third quarter defense was really good,” coach Mike Brown said. “Might be our best defensive quarter of the year.”

Don’t need to shoot the lights in order to win. The Kings have made slightly more than half of their shot attempts on the season, but against Memphis they made do with 43 percent shooting, and survived their whopping 30 misses from distance.

Don’t need to command the stat sheet to prevail. The Kings were outrebounded, fouled more and didn’t commit fewer turnovers, but they still pulled it out. To be fair, the numbers between the teams were extremely close in all three areas, but the contention that the Kings don’t have to unveil their best effort to win holds weight.

Don’t need a big finish to get a win… and this one on the road against a quality opponent to boot. This time the Grizzlies, not the Kings, dominated play down the stretch, cutting a 14-point, fourth quarter deficit to three on several possessions inside two minutes remaining. Ja Morant, who led all scorers with 34, missed a 3-pointer with 1:10 left that would have brought the hosts even at 104. Morant’s three-point play with five seconds remaining pulled the Grizzlies within 109-108, but the Kings converted four, subsequent free throws to close it out.

De’Aaron Fox led the Kings with 32 points, but Brown pointed to Harrison Barnes and his 26 points as the key to the Kings’ surviving the frantic finish.

“Obviously, we were haywire out there. Going crazy, and Harrison just made some big plays down the stretch,” Brown said.

The Kings have won seven straight for the first time since they did it in 2005, the season of their most recent–but distant–playoff appearance. Kings’ fans with anxiety issues might not want to look at the Western Conference because their long forlorn team occupies the third spot behind the Suns and the equally, surprising Jazz, just percentage points above the fourth-place Clippers.

The Kings were their typical, freewheeling selves in the first half on Tuesday, shooting 51 percent with eight makes from distance to lead 64-59. The third quarter saw the Kings extend their lead to 12, and they led 99-85 with 6:08 left after Barnes hit a three.

Memphis responded with a 5-0 run which set the stage for the tense finish. Morant was terrific after missing the previous game with an ankle injury, scoring 20 of his 34 in the fourth.

The Kings complete a back-to-back on Wednesday in Atlanta where they will confront the 10-7 Hawks.

Pelicans Trounce Golden State 128-83

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Pelicans Trounce Golden State 128-83

New Orleans Pelicans forward Brandon Ingram (14) shoots against Golden State Warriors guard Ty Jerome in the first half at Smoothie King Arena in New Orleans on Mon Nov 21, 2022 (AP News photo)

By Barbara Mason

Sunday night the Golden State Warriors (8-10) won their first road game of the season in Houston. Monday night the Warriors took on the New Orleans Pelicans (10-7) and added another road loss to their road record total 128-83 their ninth road loss this season.

Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Andrew Wiggins and Draymond Green sat out the game and the kids got the start. Jonathan Kuminga, Anthony Lamb, Jordan Poole, Donte DiVincenzo and veteran Kevon Looney were on the starting roster. There were only ten guys in uniform Monday and they would no doubt get a vigorous work-out against New Orleans.

It was a slow start for both teams in the first quarter. The slow start for New Orleans got going after the opening minutes and at the end of the quarter the Pelicans had a significant lead 35-16.

By halftime, the Pelicans had a healthy 65-41 lead. The Warriors had committed a lot of turnovers and were simply outplayed by New Orleans in the first half. Jordan Poole was having a great game with 20 points in the first two quarters. The Warriors had a real uphill battle in the second half against the full strength Pelicans.

The Warriors had a struggle trying to contain the Pelicans who welcomed back Zion Williamson tonight after he had missed the last three games. New Orleans has a terrific offense and a pretty decent defense as the Warriors found out early. The Warriors had trouble shooting threes’’s going 6 of 28 through three quarters. The Pelicans led after three 97-65 and it had been all New Orleans all night.

The Warriors were getting trounced in this game but got some great experience. They were trailing 116-76 with 6:00 left on the clock. The lose Warriors in a blow-out.

There were some bright spots for the Warriors in the game. The high score was Poole with 26 points. Kuminga had 18 points. They did struggle from downtown going 10 of 43. This was just more invaluable experience for these young guys.

The Pelicans were cruising from the start of the game. Brandon Ingram finished with the high score 34 points. CJ McCollum had 15 points. Jonas Valanciunas was great defensively with 13 rebounds. New Orleans was shooting 54% in the game.

The Warriors will play the Clippers Wednesday night at Chase Center. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:00 PM.

Golden State Warriors podcast with Barbara Mason: Warriors finally land on their first road win of the season

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Golden State Warriors guard Jordan Poole (3) starts a layup in front of Houston Rockets guard Jalen Green (4) during the first half in Houston Sun Nov 20, 2022 (AP News photo)

On the Warriors podcast with Barbara:

#1 Sunday the Golden State Warriors (8-9) took on the Houston Rockets (3-14) finally picked up their first road win of the season. 

#2 The Rockets are a young team that the Warriors handled in Houston. Houston with the exception of Eric Gordon is an extremely young bunch of players that just do not have the experience and depth that the Warriors have.

#3 The Warriors came out on a blistering pace leading after the opening quarter 40-28. The Warriors led 11-0 in the first quarter before the Rockets even scored.

#4 It was a banner night for Klay Thompson who had his first thirty plus game of the season finishing with 41 points. He was 10 of 13 from downtown. Stephen Curry had 33 and Andrew Wiggins finished with 22.

#5 Monday night the Warriors will take on the New Orleans Pelicans in the Big Easy at Smoothie King Center. Tipoff is scheduled for 5:00 PM.

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

Sellout Shootout: Kings rally late for sixth, straight win, 137-129 over the Pistons

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By Morris Phillips

SACRAMENTO–The biggest week of Kings’ basketball in over a decade almost transpired without an essential conclusion: a win over the shorthanded, hapless Pistons.

Losers of all nine of their road contests, and minus three starters, Detroit didn’t get the memo or read the Kings’ storybook. Instead they came out firing, led almost the entire way, and were tenuously in control with 4:16 remaining, up 124-119.

That’s when the 17,866 in attendance turned the volume up, while Kevin Huerter and De’Aaron Fox took control on the hardwood. Fox started the final push with a dunk in transition off Huerter’s steal, then the second of Huerter’s two 3-pointers gave the Kings a 131-127 lead with 1:29 remaining.

Fox dismissed the Pistons on a jumper with 56 seconds to go, and two made free throws with 22 seconds left that sealed it. In all, Sacramento’s starting backcourt combined for 14 of the team’s final 18 points, and Fox led the Kings with 33 points, seven assists.

“He’s playing at an All-Star level. He’s doing it on the offensive end, the defensive end,” said Harrison Barnes of Fox. “It’s a credit to him and the amount of work he put in this summer.”

Huerter added 24 points, and Domantas Sabonis had 15 points, 13 rebounds as all five Kings’ starters scored at least 13 points.

The Pistons got 24 points from rookie Jaden Ivey, who was a headliner in a matchup with fellow, top 5 draft pick Keegan Murray. The Kings’ rookie started on Sunday after missing the previous game against the Spurs and finished with 13 on 4 of 10 shooting.

Marvin Bagley also got a few hits on Twitter, as a reminder that this was his first game back in Sacramento following the trade deadline deal that shipped him to Detroit. The 6’11” Bagley didn’t figure to hold up as the only true frontcourt presence for the visitors in the absence of Saddiq Bey and Isaiah Stewart, but he did. Bagley played 21 minutes and scored 11 of his 15 points after halftime. The former No. 2 overall pick for Sacramento was playing just his fifth game after missing the first 13 games of the season with a knee sprain.

The Kings six-game win streak is their first since January 2005, and the perfect complement to Tuesday’s electrifying, 153-121 win over Brooklyn on national TV that created all the buzz. Thursday’s win over the Spurs kept the party going, and Sunday’s crowd, the biggest in the history of the Golden 1 Center confirmed the fan base has taken notice.

The Kings are three games over .500 for the first time since February 13, 2019 when they were 30-27 in support of the underappreciated coaching of Dave Joerger.

With all the excitement surrounding his team, coach Mike Brown stood alone in his subdued reaction. The Pistons 61 percent shooting before halftime, and their 102 points after three quarters left a sour taste.

“We were not good at all defensively tonight,” Brown said. “We got lucky.”

WHAT HAPPENED TO TD?: Terence Davis, the first player in NBA history to notch at least 30 points, seven rebounds, seven 3-pointers and three steals on 70-percent shooting from the field in a single game barely played on Sunday.

Davis wasn’t hurt, just not needed in the minds of the Kings’ coaching staff. Davis’ record night was Tuesday against the Nets. Then on Thursday he scored five points in 15 minutes against the Spurs. And on Sunday, with Murray back in the starting lineup, Davis sat the entire first half, and played just three minutes in the third quarter. He finished with three points.

Do the Kings have quality depth? Apparently so.