Photo credit: @Deadspin
By: Jeremiah Salmonson
Last year, the Sacramento Kings were humiliated by the Atlanta Hawks. The King lost in Atlanta last year by a score of 80-126. Grant Napear was quoted as saying in pregame, “It was a game of men against boys” last season. This year, the Kings were looking to flip the script against Atlanta. The tip was scheduled for 4:30 PM PST on Thursday.
The Kings came ready to play in their first game action since Tuesday evening in Orlando. De’Aaron Fox appeared to put the back issues he has been experiencing behind him early to lead the Kings in the first half. The Kings and Hawks both came out shooting early on. Led by Buddy Hield (9 first-quarter points) and Nemenja Bjelica (10 first-quarter points) the Kings were able to jump out to an early lead in the first. As time winded down in the first, the score was 35-29 Kings on top.
The Kings couldn’t do much separating from the Hawks in the second quarter. Both teams would match each other shot for shot going into halftime. Leading the Kings was Fox, Hield and Nemenja Bjelica.
The third quarter is when the Kings turned it up a notch. Fox would get himself career-highs in points and assists before the end of the third to lead the Kings. Hield was also playing very well for the Kings in the third as they created separation from the Hawks. The Kings, looking for their first win in Atlanta since 2006, finished the third with 46 points and a 115-86 lead.
From this point on the game was Sacramento’s to lose, and they did not do that. Fox put together the first triple-double of his career and led the Kings to a 146-115 win. Fox was asked after the game if the game has slowed down and said, “The game has slowed down immensely.” Fox finished with 31 points, 15 assists, and 10 rebounds. Other notable performances included Hield (27 points), Bjelica (19 points), and Marvin Bagley (18 points).
Up Next: The Kings head to Milwaukee to face the undefeated Bucks at 12:30 PM PST on Sunday.
Photo credit: @NBA
By: Jeremiah Salmonson
The Sacramento Kings are flying high for the first time since February 2017. The Kings were looking for a four-game win streak in Tuesday’s game against the Orlando Magic. They would have to do so with a less than 100% De’Aaron Fox. The Kings are calling it a minor back strain. Nonetheless, Fox was in the starting lineup against the Magic.
The Kings were hoping that Fox and his troublesome back would not be a problem. However, Fox showed a little discomfort a few minutes into the game. He played about half of the first leaving with roughly six minutes left. As for the game, it was a sloppy start for the Kings. Bad passes and miscues would be the story of the first. That led to the Kings trailing 31-26.
The Kings would prove to put things together though in the second quarter. The Kings, who were led by Nemanja Bejelica and Buddy Hield, pushed the Kings back into the lead. After scoring 26 in the 1st the Kings were able to up that to 33 in the second carrying a three-point lead into intermission. The score was 59-56.
In the third quarter, the Kings would continue to push the pace and score points. While both the first and second quarters were relatively stagnant, the third would be decidedly more paced and in the Kings favor. The Kings outscored the Magic 26-16 in the third to begin to pull away. Both teams entered the last quarter with the Kings leading the Magic 85-72.
The Kings could have coasted to victory, but missed opportunities and good shots from the Magic made it close. The Magic had cut the deficit to 91-94 with roughly five minutes to go. From there, the Kings were able to reel it in and push the lead to 107-99 to win the game.
When asked after the game, on how this type of up and down game could be a teachable moment for the young Kings, head coach Dave Joerger said, “We battled the whole game and stayed fast.”
The Kings (5-3) head to Atlanta to face Trey Young and the Atlanta Hawks (2-5) on Thursday at 4:30 PM PST.
By Morris Phillips
Apparently, you don’t want to get into a track meet with the run-and-gun Sacramento Kings.
The Kings needed a quarter (they trailed 28-17 after the first) to get completely revved up, but once they reached warp speed, the Heat, playing in front of their sparse crowd at American Airlines Arena, were made to capitulate.
Sacramento put up 106 points over the final three quarters–making 12 3-pointers in the game along with a slew of fastbreaks–and raced past the Heat, 123-113. The Kings outscored Miami by 22 points in the second and third quarters alone. They led 82-65 after Marvin Bagley III buried a 3-pointer with 4:17 remaining in the third quarter and coasted from there.
“It’s fun to play like this–playing fast, everyone getting the touches, everybody sharing the energy,” said Willie Cauley-Stein, who had 26 points and 13 rebounds. “It’s just fun to play.”
“We like to play at pace, but it has to be on our terms. That was fully on their terms,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra admitted.
The Kings have won three straight, and four of five. Picked 30th–out of 30–by most NBA prognosticators, and thought to be too young and inexperienced to challenge for a playoff spot, the Kings are the surprise team so far in the Western conference.
Putting the ball in the hands of De’Aaron Fox and watching him go, was a major component in Monday’s gameplan. That and having Fox accept the challenge posed by Goran Dragic, a similar point guard in style and demeanor.
On both counts, advantage Fox.
The second-year Sacramento point guard had 20 points, eight assists, four rebounds and two steals in 34 minutes on the floor. Fox is averaging 18 points, seven assists through seven games as the unquestioned ringleader of the Kings’ fast-paced attack.
The Kings head to Orlando, Fla. to take on the Magic on Tuesday at 4:00 pm PT.
By: Charlie O. Mallonee
Photo credit: @NBANewsNow247
By: Jeremiah Salmonson
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — It was game number five for the Sacramento Kings. In the previous four they won one game. Tonight they were looking to build off a strong showing against the Denver Nuggets. However, there was one thing in particular, the Kings had to improve their defense. The Kings’ offense has been putting together good displays, but the defense must improve in order to win games. The Kings and Memphis Grizzlies went at it at 7 pm local time inside the Golden 1 Center on Wednesday night.
The game would go back and forth in the opening minutes. Having played all but four minutes in the first the game was tied at 17 apiece. The Kings’ top scorers at the time were Willie Cauley-Stein, Buddy Hield, and De’Aaron Fox–all of which had 8 points. Turnovers would be the story in the final minutes of the first. Harry Giles would turn the ball over in back to back possessions as the Grizzlies added onto the lead. By the end of the first, the score would be 28-19 with the Grizzlies on top.
The second quarter started exactly how the first ended. The Kings turned over the ball multiple times with the Grizzlies taking advantage of their turnovers. With 4 minutes to go in the first half, the game’s score was 48-36 with the Grizzlies on top. At this point, the Kings had allowed 10 turnovers, leading to 14 points. The Kings made a run in the next few minutes, cutting the deficit to 44-52 leading into halftime.
The Kings decided to change the narrative of the game in the third quarter. What could have turned into a blowout loss turned into a comeback. Having not led in the game since the first quarter, the Kings took the lead with 5:20 left in the third quarter. De’Aaron Fox finished a layup to give the Kings the lead, 61-60. Both teams matched basket for basket, bringing the game to a screeching halt after the third tied at 71 apiece.
It was clear going into the fourth that the Kings had momentum on their side. The only question was if they could harness that and sink baskets. The Kings would score followed directly by a Grizzlies’ basket. This until Fox went to the rim with an authoritative dunk–coming from beyond three-point range. he slammed it home one-handed. This was followed by a Buddy Hield dunk after a Memphis time out. The score was 87-80 Kings with 6:30 to play. Fox and Marc Gasol got tangled up on the next play leading to a time out. Gasol was lifted and taken out of the game with an apparent collarbone injury. With 3:44 to play in the game, the Kings were up 89-82. The Kings continued to put the pressure on the Grizzlies and that led to a 95-86 lead with 18 seconds to go. The game ended 97-92 in favor of the Kings for their second win of the year.
Up next: The Kings will stay home to host the Washington Wizards on Friday at 7 pm PST.
photo from the sacbee.com: Kings forward Marvin Bagley III, right, works against Denver Nuggets forward Trey Lyles on Tuesday at Pepsi Center. Bagley scored 20 points in the Kings’ 126-112 loss
quotes from the sacbee.com
By London Marq
The Sacramento Kings were exhausted after completing their three game road trip in Denver to the tune of 126-112 loss to the Denver Nuggets. The Nuggets are undefeated use the Pepsi Center to their advantage as teams come up to the Mile High City and sometimes struggle with the altitude such as the Kings’ Justin Jackson was referring to as the team got a little tired in the second half of the game, “It’s always hard to come to Denver and play,” Jackson said. “The altitude is pretty nuts out here. Did we get fatigued a little bit? We might have, and it’s pretty understandable. … It’s Denver. The altitude is — you can push for so long, (but) eventually you’re going to get a little tired.”
The Kings’ Marvin Bagley III enjoyed hitting a Kings’ mark for a rookie not achieved since 1995 with 20 points, nine rebounds, five blocked shots. The last time a Kings player did that was Brian Grant in 1995. Bagley became the third NBA rookie player to hit those totals joining former Detroit Piston John Salley (1987) and Stanley Roberts (1992).
“I’ve got to give it my all every time I step out on the floor no matter what the score is,” Bagley said. “I love playing this game and I think I’d be cheating myself if I didn’t go as hard as I possibly could and still be a great teammate no matter what the circumstances may be.”
The Kings return back to Sacramento for a Wednesday night contest with the Memphis Grizzlies at Golden 1 Center. Jeremiah Salmonson has your game coverage.
London Marq is a Sacramento Kings beat writer at http://www.sportsradioservice.com
By Charlie O. Mallonee
The last place a 0-2 NBA team wants to play when trying to get its first win of the season is Oklahoma City. The Thunder had a 9-1 opening night record at home heading into the game versus the Kings on Sunday night. OKC also had won 74.2-percent of their home games at the Chesapeake Energy Arena going the 2018-19 home opener. That is what you call a “real uphill battle.”
The Kings parlayed a two-point first quarter lead into a 12-point halftime lead. Everyone knew the Thunder would not go quietly–especially with Superstar Russell Westbrook back for the first time this season after a knee scope.
The Kings held a 97-90 lead at the end of three quarters and then had to gut it out for the final 12 minutes.
The Kings (1-2) led by Justin Jackson, Willie Cauley-Stein and De’Aaron Fox outscored OKC 34-30 in the fourth period and won their first game of the season 131-120. Beating the Thunder (0-3) on the road is a real motivator for a young team like Sacramento.
Sacramento turned to a vet for a lift
Kings head coach Dave Joerger inserted NBA veteran Iman Shumpert into the starting lineup on Sunday night. Shumpert gave the team an immediate lift by scoring 16 of their 34 first quarter points. He hit 4-of-6 3-point shots in the opening 12 minutes.
Shumpert finished the game with 26 points shooting 9-for-13 from the floor including four 3-point conversions. He also added four assists, three steals, three rebounds and two blocked shots.
Fans should not expect Shumpert to produce those kinds of numbers on a regular basis but he will be good as a “spark plug” for the team during the season.
Defense
It may seem odd to talk about defense when a team gives up 120 points, but it has to be a discussion for this game. One of the key issues was not allowing long scoring runs. In the game in New Orleans, the Pelicans went on very long scoring runs which were back breakers. Sacramento did not let that happen on Sunday which helped them win the game.
The Kings also held the Thunder to 44.2-percent shooting (46-for-104) overall. In their two losses, the Jazz and Pelicans shot over 50-percent for the game. Scoring is up in the NBA dramatically as teams are pushing the pace, but defense will still be important to winning games.
Rookie watch
Marvin Bagley III came off the bench and played just over 23 minutes. MBIII scored 13 points and grabbed seven rebounds. Five of those rebounds were off the offensive glass setting up second-chance opportunities. He attacked the basket often looking like he had jumped off a mini-trampoline. The young man can “raise the roof.”
Harry Giles III played almost 17 minutes and did not foul out. That is significant because he was assigned to slow down Steven Adams, which is no easy task for a veteran, let alone a rookie. HGIII did put a crimp in Adams style and managed to score eight points to go with six rebounds.
The Fox was on the loose
After the game, coach Dave Joerger said he may have played Fox for too many minutes (41:59) in the contest. Not only did the second-year point guard push the pace but he also had to defend against Russell Westbrook for 35 minutes. Fox did look tired during his postgame interview.
Fox recorded a double-double putting up 22 points and dishing out 10 assists in the victory. He hit 7-of 12 shots from the field and converted 7-of-9 opportunities from the charity stripe.
Seven Kings scored in double-figures
Kings team numbers were impressive as well
Up Next
The Kings wrap up this three-game road trip on Tuesday night in Denver against a very tough Nuggets team. The Nuggets are currently 3-0 after squeaking out a 100-98 win over the Golden State Warriors on Sunday night.
By Charlie O. Mallonee
By the end of the evening in New Orleans, the Sacramento Kings would rather have been in Yuba City because they had no reason to celebrate on Bourbon Street. The Kings gave up 149 points to the New Orleans Pelicans in their loss on Friday night. The 149 points was a new game-high scoring record for the New Orleans franchise.
The Kings did score 129 points of their own, but it was in a losing effort. There were some highlights but a loss is a loss. This was the Kings first road loss of 2018-19, and they are now 0-2 on the season.
Joerger’s take
”I saw some really good things offensively tonight,” Kings coach Dave Joerger said. ”I see, certainly, a lot of things defensively that can be learned through experience that just takes time as younger guys learn how to play against older guys. I am not fired up about giving up 149, but I do like what I see from a lot of our guys.”
Maybe this reporter is just a little impatient, but he has heard the “I saw some really good things” line many times over the last two years. Yes, this is a completely reworked roster with some very young players, but the “I’m happy with some of what I saw from my team tonight” line is going to wear thin very quickly. After 10 games if the team is playing poorly, the coach is going to have to speak honestly about the way his team is playing. The time to “kick butt and take names” is coming sooner and not later for Sacramento.
Coming out party for MBIIIV
The Kings top draft pick saw some major playing time on Friday versus the Pelicans. Bagley played 32-plus minutes and matched up well against “the Brow” – Anthony Davis. MBIIIV put up 19 points hitting 7-of-10 from the field. He converted 5-of-6 opportunities from the free throw line. Bagley grabbed eight rebounds, had three assists and made three steals.
Not a bad second game as a professional for a 19-year old having to go up against Anthony Davis.
WCS comes up “Big” again
Willie Cauley-Stein was the Kings leading scorer for the second consecutive game with 20 points in just over 25 minutes of playing time. He shot an impressive 9-for-14 from the floor. The big man also grabbed seven rebounds.
Swipa the Fox and Buddy Buckets showed up as well
De’Aaron Fox shot 6-for-12 from the floor and scored 18 points for the Kings. He also dished out six assists and pulled down seven rebounds. The Fox hit 6-of-7 chances from the free throw line.
Buddy Hield recorded 17 points, hitting 7-of-11 shots from the field. Hield put in 3-of-4 tries from behind the 3-point line. He also added three assists.
Mr. Mason had a big game coming off the bench
Frank Mason III played just over 21-minutes and scored 18 points. Mason shot 7-for-13 from the floor and converted 3-of-4 from the free throw line. He also handed out six assists.
What about Harry Giles III?
Harry had a tough game on Friday night. He committed six fouls in just over 18 minutes on the floor. Giles scored seven points and added four rebounds. He shot just 3-for-11 for the game. Rookies sometimes struggle.
Team stats
The Kings shot 52.1-percent (50/96) for the game. The problem was the Pelicans shot 58.9-percent (56/95) in the contest.
Sacramento hit 10-of-25 (40-percent) from 3-point land. New Orleans buried 16-of-31 tries from behind the long-distance line.
The Pelicans outrebounded the Kings 52 to 39.
The need for defense
The practice on Saturday will be all about defense. The Kings have proved they can score. Now, they need to figure out how to stop their opponents from scoring at will.
Up next
The Kings will return to action on Sunday on the road in Oklahoma City versus the Thunder at 4:00 pm PT. The quest for their first victory of 2018-19 does not get any easier having to face a team a talented as the Thunder on the road.
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