Category: Sacramento Kings

Kings bounce back Saturday with a 103-101 “ugly” win over the Pistons on the road

Published on by Charlie O. MalloneeLeave a comment
pistons kings final
Graphic/Photo:@NBCSCA

By Charlie O. Mallonee

The Kings began their longest road trip of the year on Thursday night with a disappointing 114-95 loss in Charlotte. That was a game that should have gone in the win column for the Kings on this six-city road swing.

Sacramento had the table set for them on Saturday night going into the game. The Pistons were playing the second game of a back-to-back set after having played the Miami Heat on Friday night. Detroit also lost center Andre Drummond in the first quarter of the Miami game when an arm in the face caused a nasal injury that would also keep him out of the game versus the Kings.

This was a snoozer for three quarters
In fact, you could make the case that this game was a sleep inducer for 44 minutes. After 36 minutes, the Pistons held an 82-74 lead over the Kings. Detroit was controlling the pace. Blake Griffin was leading the scoring for the Pistons and Luke Kennard was sinking 3-pointers with ease.

The Kings were just hanging on in the game. They were allowing the Pistons to set a slow-down pace. SAC was shooting poorly (26.3%) from downtown, and they were allowing Detroit to outrebound them. The Kings seemed satisfied to trail the Pistons by 10 points.

At the end of three quarters, things did not look good for Sacramento fans.

Welcome to the “Buddy Buckets Show”

pistons buddy zone
In the 4th quarter, Hield was in the zone Photo:@SacramentoKings

Buddy Hield scored 20 points in the first half of the game on Saturday night. He played the entire third quarter and scored no points while shooting 0-for-3 from the field. Things looked grim indeed for the men from Sacramento.

Hield scored his first points of the second half with 3:26 to go in the game. He hit a 27-foot 3-point jump shot set up by an assist from Iman Shumpert. That cut the Detroit lead to four points.

After a Pistons miss, Hield promptly cut the Pistons lead to one after he hit another 27-foot 3-point bucket.

Hield went on to hit a 17-foot field goal, a free throw, and another 3-point basket during his 12-point blitz.

The Kings regained control of the ball with 3.4-seconds to go in the game when they grabbed the rebound off of Reggie Jackson’s missed jump shot. Sacramento called an immediate timeout in order to be able to inbound the ball in the frontcourt.

Bogdan Bogdanovic inbounded the ball to Hield. Hield, who was surrounded by three Piston defenders, lost control of the ball but was able to regain control. He turned and jumped off one leg then shot a 28-foot 3-point shot that went through the bucket at the buzzer to give the Kings the win.

Sacramento escaped the Little Caesar’s Arena with a 103-101 win over the stunned Detroit Pistons.

“(It was) my first buzzer beater in the NBA,” said Hield after the game. “It was one of those things as a kid you wanted to do and you want to cherish. I hope I have many more to come.”

Kings’ numbers on the night (24-22)

pistons kings 5
Kings starting five in Detroit Photo: @SacramentoKings

Hield was the Kings leading scorer with 35 points. He shot 13-for-22 overall and hit 7-of-9 from behind the arc. Hield also grabbed nine rebounds (3 OR).

Dave Joerger was full of praise for Buddy after the game, but he also wanted to point out the performances of some of his other players. “De’Aaron Fox had a terrific game even though he didn’t shoot the basketball (well). Iman Shumpert had a really nice night defensively. Marvin Bagley fought like crazy. Harry (Giles) fought like crazy. Those guys are getting better. It’s a great learning experience trying to learn. They’re learning it doesn’t take losses to learn.” Joerger also added that he thought, “Willie Cauley-Stein was solid tonight.”

Other contributors:

  • De’Aaron Fox had a double-double, scoring 14 points and dishing out 10 dimes
  • Marvin Bagley III put in 14 points–many with Blake Griffin in his face
  • Willie Cauley-Stein added 12 points and six rebounds
  • Bogdanovic and Giles scored eight points apiece

SAC team stats

  • The Kings hit 40-of-89 (44.9%) of their field goals in the game
  • They put in 10-of-25 (40%) of their 3-point attempts, thanks to Hield’s fourth quarter blitz
  • SAC converted 13-of-18 (72.2%) free throw attempts
  • They were outrebounded 46-39
  • Sacramento recorded 30 assists and made just 13 turnovers, which resulted in 17 Detroit points

Detroit by the numbers (20-25)

  • Blake Griffin was the game’s leading scorer with 38 points. He was also the game’s leading complainer as he had something to say to the officials after every play. He was especially boorish to referee Natalie Sago.
  • Luke Kennard put in 19 points off the bench.
  • Zaza Pachulla hauled in 12 rebounds
  • Bruce Brown recorded a career-high 10 rebounds

Up next
The Kings left the Motor City after the game for New York City. SAC will play the Brooklyn Nets (24-23) on Monday afternoon at 12:30 PM PST. The game can be seen on NBCSCA and heard on the Kings Radio Network.

The Pistons also play on Martin Luther King Day as they will be in Washington to take on the Wizards.

pistons buddy post
One happy “Star of the Game” Photo: @SacramentoKings

Kings falter following fast start, fall to Hornets 114-95

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Photo credit: atthehive.com

By: London Marq

On Thursday evening, the Kings traveled to Charlotte, kicking off the first of 6 games on the road. Winning 4 of their last 5 games, the Kings have recently gone all in with their youth movement. Harry Giles, the former college and high school standout who redshirted his first season with Sacramento after an injury, has been seeing more of the floor and has shown that he may be exactly what the Kings need around the basket. Combined with the talents of the number two overall pick from last year’s draft, Marvin Bagley III, they look like they could be the long-term future for the Kings’ backcourt. Sacramento hopes to ride it’s youth to playoff berth, continuing with a good start to this road trip.

The Kings started the game out hot, going on a 15-3 run to open the game. Buddy Hield, who has been on fire this season and is on pace to break the Kings record for threes in a single season, poured in 9 from beyond the arc. Charlotte’s Kemba Walker would help his team get back into the game, scoring 5 in the first. De’Aaron Fox helped keep the Hornets at bay with excellent facilitation, dishing out 4 assists in the quarter. The quarter would end 25-20 in the Kings’ favor.

At one point, the Kings held an 11-point lead in the second quarter, but the half ended with Charlotte going on a monster 39-13 run over 10 minutes. The game would go to halftime with Charlotte leading 63-50. The Kings would continue to fall apart. While Bogdan Bogdanovic and Marvin Bagley had good games off the bench, a lack of ball movement and poor shooting would plague them and the lead for Charlotte would balloon to 20 in the fourth quarter. The Kings starters would fight back, but it would be too little, too late.

It was a poor was for the Kings to open up a long road trip, but there is still time to turn it around.  The Kings travel to the Palace in Detroit to take on the Pistons on Saturday. After beating them 7 days ago at the Golden 1 Center, they should go in with a high level of confidence. And, after one of the most disappointing losses of the season to Charlotte, they should be hungry for a bounce back win.

FINAL: Charlotte defeated Sacramento 114-95.

UP NEXT: Kings stop by Detroit to take on the Pistons Saturday at 4:00 pm PST.

Rise of the Bench Mob: Reserves push Kings past road-weary Blazers, 115-107

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By: Morris Phillips

SACRAMENTO — Yogi, Bogie and Bags sounds like a Saturday morning cartoon, but the Portland Trail Blazers weren’t laughing on Monday night.

The Kings got a big night from their bench, who outscored the Sacramento starting five 58-57. All those different contributors signaled doom for the Blazers, who appeared sluggish less than 24 hours after they dropped a close game to the Nuggets in Denver.

“We’re defending, making extra efforts,” Kings coach Dave Joerger said. “We’re a team where everybody needs to contribute.”

The Kings didn’t get their first lead until early in the second quarter on Bogdan Bogdanovic’s jumper that put them up 30-29. Zach Collins made one of two free throws to tie it, but Bogdanovic answered with a 3-pointer to give the Kings a lead they never relinquished. That against a Portland team that’s 26-0 when leading after three quarters, but fell to 0-19 when they trail after three on Monday.

The Blazers were lead by Damian Lilliard, who scored 35 points. But no other Blazer scored more than Evan Turner’s 14. Second-leading C.J. McCollum finished with six, missing 12 of his 14 shots from the floor. Even more than their 14 turnovers, the Blazers’ poor shooting left them at a disadvantage against the high-octane Kings.

“We turned the ball over and allowed them to get out in transition,” Lilliard said. “They play at the fastest pace in the league, so we made it harder on ourselves than it had to be.”

The Kings improved to 23-21 on the season, and pulled into a tie with the LeBron James-less Lakers for ninth place in the Western Conference. The Utah Jazz hold the final playoff spot at 24-21, a half-game ahead of the Kings and Lakers.

A six-game road trip that starts with Detroit, Charlotte and Brooklyn awaits the Kings, and likely holds the key to the young team’s playoff chances. When asked if the trip–which starts Thursday against the Pistons–marks a pivotal stretch in their 82-game season, Joerger barely flinched, and instead used the moment to give his post-game presser an abrupt Bill Belichick-type ending.

“We have tomorrow off,” Joerger said.

The Kings begin their six-game road trip Thursday against the Charlotte Hornets. Game time set for 4 pm PST.

Kings defeat Hornets 104-97 for second straight win

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Photo credit: @NBCSKings

By: Jeremiah Salmonson

SACRAMENTO — The Sacramento Kings welcomed the Charlotte Hornets to Golden One Center Saturday night. For the Hornets, this was the second night of a back-to-back after playing the Portland Trail Blazers in Portland, Ore. The Kings were coming off a lopsided game in which they defeated the Detroit Pistons 112-102 in Sacramento The Kings were looking to get back on a roll to try to make it a winning streak against the Hornets. The tip-off was set for 7:00 PM PST.

In the first quarter, the Kings came out strong. Though, the usually reliable Buddy Hield wasn’t having much luck, De’Aaron Fox, Bogdan Bogdanovic, and Willie Cauley-Stein were more than capable to pick up the slack. Those three combined to score 21 points and lead the Kings to an early first quarter lead. For the Hornets, the leading scorer was Kemba Walker with 10 points. The Kings had a 35-29 lead after the first.

In the second quarter, the Kings and Hornets traded point for point, but in the end, Charlotte gained the lead, thanks to great performances from Kemba Walker, Jeremy Lamb, and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist in the first half. The Kings, on the other hand, struggled in the last minute of the quarter to lose the lead before the half. Hield and Bogdan Bogdanovic were the most effective in the half, combining for 25 points. The Hornets took a 59-57 lead at halftime.

In the third quarter, the Kings came to play and scored 25 points compared to the Hornets’ 17. The Kings also played great defense, forcing the the Hornets to turn the ball over 17 times. Marvin Bagley was playing exceptionally good defense under the rim and on the offensive glass. The score was 82-76 after three quarters.

In the fourth quarter, the Kings attempted to create a little separation but the Hornets weren’t having it. However, the Kings managed to get the score in their favor 102-94 with a minute remaining. At this point, it was the Kings’ game to lose, but they managed to put up 22 points in the fourth to secure the victory 104-97.

The Kings’ leading scorers were Bogdan Bogdanovic (22 points), De’Aaron Fox (21 points), and Buddy Hield (21 points). The win improved the Kings to 22-21 on the season, and with the loss, the Hornets fell to 19-23.

The Kings continue their homestand Monday as they’re set to host the Trail Blazers at 7:00 PM PST.

Kings use team effort to down Pistons 112-102

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Photo credit: @SacramentoKings

By: Jeremiah Salmonson

SACRAMENTO — The Sacramento Kings were back home on Thursday night to host the Detroit Pistons. For the Kings, they desperately needed a win to bounce back from the worst loss of the season. On Tuesday, the Kings had a 21-point lead going into halftime. However, those points would not hold up against the worst team in NBA as the Kings would lose the game 115-111. The Pistons came into Thursday nights game also coming off a tough loss to the LA Lakers 113-100. The tip-off was set for 7 PM PST.

In the first quarter, the Kings came out strong. Lead by De’Aaron Fox and Buddy Hield for a combined 15 points the Kings scored 34 to take an early lead. The Pistons, on the other hand, seemed to being the same game that cost them in LA. The Pistons’ sluggish play on the second day of a back to back wasn’t unexpected, but disappointing nonetheless. Blake Griffin, the Pistons’ arguably best player, was out for a rest day which showed early on.

In the second quarter, it was more of the same from both sides. The Kings managed to put up 31 compared to the Pistons’ 27–three of which came at the buzzer to end the first half. Notably good performances for the Pistons in the first half were Stanley Johnson and Langston Galloway, who combined for 17 points. For the Kings, they had five players who had eight or more points for the half. Those five were Iman Shumpert, Willie Cauley-Stein, Buddy Hield, De’Aaron Fox, and Yogi Ferrell. The first half ended with the Kings up 65-48.

Headed into the third, the Kings clearly had the advantage, and they didn’t waste it. The Kings didn’t do enough to further the lead, but they were able to keep the game exactly where it was going to the half. The Kings and Pistons both scored 26 points to keep the Kings 17-point lead intact. Through the third, the leading scorer in the game was Hield with 18 points. Heading into the fourth, the game appeared to be everything but over with the Kings leading 91-74.

In the fourth, that prediction would come true. The Kings managed to score 21 points to put the Pistons in the ground for the second straight night in California. The Kings played well coming off a tough loss to the Suns earlier in the week. Hopefully, this signals a rebound from the poor basketball the Kings have been playing of late as they look to get back on track. The Kings now sit at 21-21 while the Pistons drop to 17-23.

The Kings host the Charlotte Hornets on Saturday night at 7:00 PM PST.

Headline Sports podcast with London Marq: Kings, win or lose, look to hang with the best of them

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Photo credit: @SacramentoKings

On Headline Sports podcast with London:

#1 The Sacramento Kings in a close game with Golden State only to lose, but turned around and beat Orlando on Monday night and played in a close game with the Phoenix Suns.

#2 De’Aaron Fox has been a leading scorer for the Kings to lead the offense.

#3 Buddy Hield and Willie Cauley-Stein have also getting double figures to keep the Kings in their games.

#4 Despite the loss to Golden State, you can still see the transformation of this team.

#5 It’s Detroit and Sacramento Thursday night at Golden One Center. London talks about this matchup.

London Marq does the Sacramento Kings podcasts each Wednesday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Kings stunned by Suns 115-111 in Phoenix

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Photo credit: @Suns

By: Jeremiah Salmonson

Tuesday night was the second night of a back-to-back and the Kings looked poised to start a winning streak. The night before, the Kings beat the Orlando Magic 111-95 breaking a four-game losing streak. After the game, the Kings traveled to Phoenix to take on the Suns at 6:00 PM PST.

In the first quarter, the Kings came out sluggish. Four minutes into the game, the Kings were trailing 12-8 to the Suns. The Kings didn’t play a bad first quarter, but the Suns had a great quarter. In the first, the Suns managed 35 points compared to the Kings’ 32. It was something that you don’t normally see from the Suns, who came into this game 9-32 on the season.

In the second quarter, the Kings would come out in a big way. Doing what most people thought they would in the first, the Kings scored 40 points to take a commanding 21-point lead. On the other hand, the Suns scored 18 points to dig themselves a deep hole going into the third quarter. At the end of the first half, the Suns trailed 72-53. Leading scorers for the Kings were Buddy Hield and Ben McLemore both with 11 points.

In the third quarter, the script flipped. Just like the Kings scored 40 points in the second, the Suns scored 33 to tie the game. One of the main problems for the Kings was the number of turnovers allowed. The Kings allowed a crippling 25 turnovers Tuesday. That number is uncharacteristically high for the Kings, who are known for not allowing a high amount of turnovers. After three quarters, the game was tied at 86 points apiece.

Going into the fourth quarter, the Kings were by no means out of the game. What they had to do was get the momentum back and seal the win. Unfortunately for Kings fans, they weren’t able to do that. With the minutes winding down on the clock, the Suns and Kings traded shot for shot.

In the end, the Suns scored a few points too many for the Kings to handle. As the final buzzer sounded, the Kings were left to reflect on how they blew a 21-point advantage to lose to the worst team in the NBA. The obvious answer is the turnovers. The Suns received 25 free possessions from the Kings, which is not a good formula for winning. The final score was 115-111.

The loss put the Kings’ record down to 20-21. The win improved the Suns’ season to 10-32.

The Kings return home to host the Detroit Pistons Thursday at 7:00 PM PST.

Sacramento Kings podcast with Charlie O: Kings’ loss is now fifth in last six games after loss in Phoenix

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Photo credit: @SacramentoKings

On the Sacramento Kings podcast with Charlie O:

#1 The Orlando Magic couldn’t hold a second and third quarter lead over the Sacramento Kings on Monday night at Golden One Center in a 111-95 loss. The next night and Kings dropped a tough loss to Phoenix and the Suns played catch up 115-111.

#2 De’Aaron Fox contributed with 20 points and the Kings lead by 28 points after three quarters Fox has been a big contributor. Fox in Phoenix led the Kings again with 24 points but turned the ball over eight times.

#3 The win on Monday gave snapped the Kings’ four-game losing streak and boosted morale for Sacramento, but 24 hours later, the let down in Phoenix.

#4  The Kings were up by 21 and turned the ball over 26 times. That’s a lot of turnovers after having a big lead.

#5 Next up for Sacramento, the Kings are back at Golden One vs. Detroit on Thursday.

Charlie O does the Kings podcasts each Tuesday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

20-20 Vision: Kings envision a winning record after breaking slide against the Magic

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By Morris Phillips

SACRAMENTO–The Kings have struggled to hold fourth quarter leads. But it didn’t matter Monday; the Magic couldn’t hold it together in the second and third quarters in hopes of applying pressure on the Kings in the fourth.

Led by De’Aaron Fox and his 20 points, the Kings led by 28 after three quarters, and cruised to a 111-95 win at Golden 1 Center. That snapped Sacramento’s four-game losing streak, and kept them in striking distance of the eight would-be Western Conference playoff qualifiers ahead of them.

After the Lakers fell to Minnesota Sunday afternoon, the Kings’ win leaves them 1 1/2 games behind eighth-place Los Angeles. The Kings can clinch a winning first half of the season when they visit the Suns on Tuesday.

The losing streak didn’t dissolve the Kings’ improvement. Last season the Kings won just 13 of their first 40 games, on their way to finishing 12th in the West.

“I think we’re moving the ball a lot more,” said rookie William Bagley, who returned after missing 11 games due to a knee sprain. “You can see tonight how everybody was touching it. We passed up good shots for great shots. Everybody was in the rhythm of the game. It was exciting.”

The Kings got nice contributions from Harry Giles and Justin Jackson as the Sacramento reserves came up with 18 made baskets and 48 points.

Meanwhile, the Magic couldn’t score in the second quarter, the prelude to the team’s season-low 32 made baskets in the game. Orlando didn’t fare much better after the break. They were outscored by 24 points in the second and third quarters combined.

“It’s disappointing the way we’ve been playing,” said center Nikola Vucevic, who paced Orlando with 18 points, 13 rebounds. “We have to keep working and find a way to turn things around.”

The Magic are a bit of a conundrum offensively, and they were true to form on Monday. Their 3-point shooting isn’t bad–they made 13 threes against the Kings, but it isn’t reliable or plentiful enough to spread NBA defenses. The Kings elected to clog the paint, allowing the Magic some open looks from distance, but inside the arc the visitors suffered, missing 31 of their 50 shot attempts.

Orlando ranks 25th in the NBA in overall shooting at 44.6 percent. But Monday, they were noticeably worse at 36.8 percent.

“We have to find a way to where we have enough shooting on the floor all the time to create spacing. It’s a problem,” Magic coach Steve Clifford said. “There’s not a lot of room with some of the lineups out there for anybody to have a place to go.”

The Kings saw four starters score in double figures, as well as reserves Yogi Ferrell and Jackson. They hurt Orlando on the glass, outrebounding the Magic 57-46.

The Kings blew fourth quarter leads in all four games they previously lost, but they emptied the bench Monday, as Bogdan Bogdanovic was the only starter to log minutes in the fourth. Fox played just 22 minutes, and was done after he dunked with authority over Vucevic late in the third. The play drew a technical as referee Mike Callahan reacted to Fox’s emphatic ways, and probably didn’t hear exactly what the speedy guard barked at Vucevic.

“I really said something nice to him, but Mike didn’t hear it,” Fox said. “He just saw me talking and I was like, ‘Mike, you didn’t even hear what I said.'”

It was a heck of a basketball game on Saturday night: the Warriors squeaked by the Kings 127-123

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gsw 1-6 final

By Charlie O. Mallonee

Sacramento — The sellout crowd of 17583 fans at the Golden 1 Center on Saturday was treated to a real example of an NBA game in this new era as they saw the Golden State Warriors hold off the upstart Sacramento Kings 127-123. Not only was it an exciting contest, but it was also an NBA record-setting game.

The game featured 18 lead changes and was tied 11 times. The Warriors largest lead was 16 and that came in the first period. The Kings biggest lead of the game was nine points.

The constant end-to-end action had the crowd in a literal frenzy from the opening tipoff to the final buzzer.

The teams “made it rain” to set an NBA record

gsw 1-6 curry
Curry scored a game-high 42 points Photo: @warriors

The teams combined to hit 41 3-point field goals in the game which set a new record for the NBA. The Warriors put in 21-of-47 (44.7%) their attempts from behind the 3-point line. The Kings converted 20-of-36 (55.6%) their shots from long distance in the game.

123 of the 250 total points scored in the game came off 3-point field goals. That is a true representation of where today’s NBA is headed now and in the foreseeable future.

Steph Curry led the 3-point scoring barrage sinking 10-of-20 attempts. The Kings’ Buddy Hield (yes, the guy from Oklahoma who would never be able to hit the 3-pointer in the Association according to scouts) converted 8-of-13 attempts from long range. The big surprise may have been Sacramento’s Justin Jackson who went 5-for-7 from behind the arc.

The fans were in seventh heaven.

The teams played evenly except in one area

gsw 1-6 pic 2

The battle in the paint was dramatic on Saturday night. The Warriors scored 40 points down low while the Kings put up 38 points in the paint.

2nd Chance Points – which can determine the outcome of a game – was a dead-even tie. Golden State scored 14 2nd Chance Points and the Kings 14 of their own. GSW grabbed 12 offensive rebounds, while SAC pulled down 14 rebounds on offense.

The “runaway” Kings dominated the fastbreak points category in this game. Sacramento scored 32 points via the fast break while the Warriors recorded only 15 points via the break. There is no doubt that the Kings love to run.

Top Performers

Kings (19-20)

  • Buddy Hield was the Kings’ leading scorer with 32 points. He also added four assists and five rebounds.

  • Justin Jackson came off the bench to put 28 points. Jackson shot 10-for-14 overall for the game. He also grabbed five defensive rebounds.

  • Bogdan Bogdanovic scored 17 points, dished out seven assists and added six rebounds. He also added three steals.
  • Willie Cauley-Stein recorded another double-double putting up 14 points and hauling in 13 rebounds. WCS keeps hitting that double-double goal.

Warriors (26-14)

  • Steph Curry was the game’s high scorer with 42 points. Curry went 14-for-25 from the field (10-for-20 from 3-point land).
  • Kevin Durant scored 29 points and dished out nine assists.
  • Klay Thompson added 20 points in the contest.
  • That was a total of 91 points from the Warriors big three.

Coach Joerger’s Postgame Analysis

Coach Dave Joerger felt like his team played one its better games of the season.

Joerger loved Buddy Hield’s play and he explained why

Joerger had some great things to say about Justin Jackson

Up next

The Kings will return to action on Monday night when they will host the Orlando Magic at the Golden 1 Center.

The Warriors will host the New York Knicks on Tuesday night in Oakland.