Host: Charlie O
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A look back at the home games with Toronto and Phoenix
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A look ahead at a very tough four-game road trip to Minnesota, Toronto, Philly and Brooklyn
Kings Press Row Podcast for 12-13-17: A split at home and back on the road again
Category: Sacramento Kings
Kings black out Suns 99-92; Sac wins two out of last three
Sacramento Kings forward Zach Randolph, left, drives against Phoenix Suns forward TJ Warren during the second half of an NBA basketball game Tuesday, Dec. 12, 2017, in Sacramento, Calif. The Kings won 99-92. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli)
By Tony Renteria
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The Sacramento Kings (9-18) were looking to rebound from a bad home loss against against the Toronto Raptors and got what they were looking for with a much-needed 99-92 win over the struggling Phoenix Suns (9-20) at Golden 1 Center in California’s capital.
The Kings, who have now won two of the last three games, are looking to make a move up from last place in the Pacific Division by beating the Suns, who are directly above the Kings in the standings. With tonight’s win, the Kings are now in fourth place and a game ahead of the Suns.
Kings’ George Hill made a nice return to the starting lineup with a solid stat line of 18 points with seven boards and five assists. Hill has been averaging only nine points a game, but in this return, he played a quality game in only 28 minutes. Veteran Zach Randolph, who has been playing center for the young Kings, chipped in 17 points himself.
The Suns, who are are really on a tail spin by dropping eight of their last 10 games before tonight’s loss, really need to turn things around soon if they hope to salvage this season at all. Interim coach Jay Triano is not not helping his cause to remain at the helm of this once proud franchise with effort from his squad like tonight. The Suns were led by third player T.J. Warren, who scored 18 points, but had less than 40% shooting from the field. He missed all four of his three point attempts against the Kings.
With the win tonight, the Kings have evened up the series this season to one game apiece with each team winning on their home floor.
The Suns head up to Canada to play the mentioned Raptors Wednesday night. while the Kings also head up north to Minnesota to take on the Timberwolves on Thursday.
Another slow start sinks the Kings: Raptors win sixth straight 102-87
by Charlie O. Mallonee with Jordan Chapin
Sacramento – On Sunday afternoon, I had to keep slapping myself in the face and saying we’re not in Milwaukee anymore Toto. Still it felt like we were in Wisconsin eight nights ago when the Bucks opened the game with a 14-0 run on the Kings because the Toronto Raptors opened the game on Sunday in Sacramento with 13-0 run on Kings.
Just like they did last week in Milwaukee, the Kings made a game out of it thanks to some outstanding play by their second-unit led by the scoring of Buddy Hield and the hustle of “Two-way” signee JaKarr Sampson. Zach Randolph also continued to be the grind it out, being the blue collar leader the Kings hoped he would be by producing another double-double game.
At the end of 48-minutes of basketball, the results in Sacramento were the same as they were in Milwaukee. The Kings had to hang another “L” on their schedule board as they lost the game 102-87. The Kings record now stands at 8-18 for the season
With the victory, the Raptors improve to 17-7 for the season. They have won six consecutive games including the first two games of this four-game road trip. Toronto plays the Clippers in LA on Monday night and then face the Suns in Phoenix on Wednesday before heading back across the border.
Sacramento
Kings star of the game
Co-writer Jordan Chapin and I had a split decision on who should be the Kings star of the game.
Chapin went with Zach Randolph which is a very difficult choice to argue with in this case. The 36-year old veteran led the Kings in scoring with 19 points and in rebounds with 11. It is his fourth double-double performance of the season. Randolph also led the team in time on the floor playing almost 34-minutes.
I selected Bogdan Bogdanovic who tallied 15 points in the game shooing 5-for-10 from the floor and hitting 4-of-8 3-point attempts. He made the start in place of George Hill who was not with the team for personal reasons. Bogdanovic played almost 30-minutes and scored seven points in the first-half and eight in the second-half. The Kings “oldest rookie” also always impresses with his hustle on defense
Kings co-stars
Buddy Hield was given strong consideration for star of the game. “Buddy Buckets” posted 17-points connecting on 7-of-13 field goal attempts and converting 3-of-5 tries from “downtown”. He grabbed three rebounds, had two assists and added one steal. The one downside to his game was six turnovers.
JaKarr Sampson played hard in his 19-minutes on the court. Sampson went a perfect 5-for-5 shooting including one 3-pointer. He also made four rebounds and blocked three shots. Before you get to excited about Sampson, Dave Joerger indicated in the postgame press conference that JaKarr would be headed back to Reno as soon as Willie Cauley-Stein is game-ready again. Sampson is a victim of too many players and too few playing minutes.
Also seen in limited supporting roles for the Kings
Skal Labissiere rejoined the Kings after playing one game with the Reno Bighorns. Labissiere actually made the start playing just over 14-minutes. He scored six points and pulled down six rebounds.
Justin Jackson also returned from his stint in Reno. He played just over 33-minutes scoring three-points, hauled in five rebounds and dished out three assists.
Toronto
Raptors star of the game
DeMar DeRozan made it easy to choose him as the Raptors star of the game by scoring 25-points while shooting 9-for-15 from the field. The talented guard also converted 7-of-11 attempts from the free throw line. DeRozan also handed out nine assists in his almost 35-minutes on the court.
Raptors co-starts
Serge Ibaka was a 20-point man for Toronto in the game. He shot 8-for-13 overall and sank 4-of-7 from behind the arc. Ibaka also grabbed four rebounds.
The other member of the Raptors dynamic backcourt duo Kyle Lowrie has to be given credit as well. He scored 15 points and recorded a double-double by adding 12 rebounds. He did all of that while working through a 4-for-17 shooting night. That is what you call hanging in there.
Team numbers
Sacramento
- Turnovers 21 which resulted in 27 Raptors points. They had just 15 assists – that ratio will never be acceptable at any level of basketball
- 42 rebounds including 7 offensive rebounds
- Shooting: 47.9-percent overall (35-73) – 10-for-23 (43.5-percent) for 3-point field goals
- Free throws 7-for-14: percentage is too low. The number of attempts is too low.
- Kings biggest lead of the game: 1
Toronto
- Shooting 39-for-87 (44.8-percent) from the floor. The Kings had a better shooting percentage but the Raptors made 14 more attempts and while making 3 additional two-pointers, 1 more three-pointer and they converted six additional free throws for the 14 points they outscored the Kings by in the game.
- 44 rebounds – 12 on offense.
- Raptors largest lead 15 points
Up next for the Kings
The Phoenix Suns will visit the Golden 1 Center to take on the Kings on Tuesday night. Sacramento will then head out on a four-game road trip and will not return home until December 23.
Z-Bo goes head-to-head with Boogie and leads Kings to a 116-109 OT win in NOLA
by Charlie O. Mallonee with Jordan Chapin
The Sacramento Kings went into the game in New Orleans on Friday night as eight to 10.5-point underdogs. FiveThirtyEight.com gave the Kings just a 15-percent chance of leaving the “Crescent City” with a win. By the end of 53-minutes of playing time in the Smoothie King Arena, everyone who picked the Pelicans to win were 100-percent wrong.
The Kings needed five extra minutes but they defeated DeMarcus Cousins and the New Orleans Pelicans 116-109 to finish their four-game road trip with a record of 2-2. Sacramento won the games in Chicago and New Orleans. They had a realistic chance to win the games they lost in Milwaukee and Cleveland. The Kings played at a higher level on this road trip.
The Kings had to fight and claw their way through the 53-minutes of playing time to stay in this game. There were 12 lead changes and the game was tied 11 times. The Pels biggest lead was 10-points and the Kings largest lead was nine-points. This contest was a “Battle Royale” from start to finish.
Z-Bo was the star of the game for the Kings
The 36-year old veteran center played like a man half his age on Friday night. Randolph was the Kings leading scorer with 35-points and he made it a double-double game by hauling in 13 rebounds. He shot 14-for-22 from the field and hit 5-of-9 from 3-point range. Randolph did all of that while dealing Cousins on defense during his almost 34-minutes of playing time.
Kings co-stars
- Buddy Hield showed the fans in New Orleans what they lost when he was shipped to SAC for Cousins. Hield posted 18-points and grabbed seven rebounds. He shot 7-for-12 for the game and 4-for-5 from behind the 3-point line. Hield sank the 3-point basket that tied the game and sent it into overtime.
- De’Aaron Fox played over 36-minutes in the game and scored 14-points. He was teamed up with Frank Mason down the stretch and in overtime to help lead the Kings to the victory.
- Frank Mason came off the bench to lead the second-unit again on Friday night. The rookie out of Kansas scored 12-points, grabbed five rebounds and added three assists.
- The Kings other “O.G” – Vince Carter – played a big role for the Kings versus the Pelicans. The 40-year old veteran played 32-plus minutes and scored six-points. He also recorded four rebounds and distributed two assists. Carter also had two dunks ( three if you count the one at the final buzzer that was waved off that could have been the potential game winner).
- Georgios “Papa G” Papagiannis played an important nine-plus minutes off the bench. The big man was almost a surprise contributor in this game. He came in and played “Boogie” tough while scoring six-points and hauling in three rebounds. Papa G was a perfect 3-for-3 shooting in the game.
DeMarcus was the star of the game for New Orleans
There are very few observers of the NBA who do not see DeMarcus Cousins as being the premiere center in the league. On Friday night, Boogie reminded everyone in Sacramento what they lost when he was traded to the Pelicans.
Cousins dropped in a game-high 38-points and made it a double-double game by adding 11-rebounds. The big man also had four assists and three steals.
Cousins shot 14-for-30 from the field (4-for-10 from 3-point land). He converted 6-of-7 opportunities from the charity stripe.
Love him or hate him – Cousins is an awesome talent.
Other Pelicans who contributed
- Anthony “the Brow” Davis returned to action after missing three games. Davis played 30-minutes and scored 18-points. He went a perfect 8-for-8 from the free throw line.
- Ian Clark scored 15 points in just under 28-minutes of playing time. He shot 6-for-8 from the field.
- Jrue Holiday added 14 points. He shot 50-percent for the game hitting 6-of-12 field goal attempts.
- Rajon Rondo – who has been “hot” for the Pels since returning from injury was held out for rest. That decision may be questioned after this disappointing loss.
Team stats that matter
Kings
- SAC shot 48.5-percent (47-for-97) for the game and 43.3-percent (13-for-30) from behind the 3-point line.
- The Kings out-rebounded NOLA 46-35
- Sacramento dished out 21 assists and turned the ball over 20 times (good for 12 Pels points).
- The Kings made 12 steals in the game.
Pelicans
- New Orleans posted a 46.1-field goal percentage (41-for-89). They hit 10-of-28 3-point attempts (35.7-percent).
- The Pelicans converted 17-of-19 free throw attempts.
- The Pels booked 19 assists and committed 17 turnovers (became 22 Kings points).
Update from Reno
Skal Labissiere scored 29-points, grabbed 17 rebounds and added seven blocks in his start for the Big Horns this week. Look for him to be in Sacramento on Sunday.
Up next
Kings (8-17)
The Kings will return to action on Sunday versus the very talented Toronto Raptors (16-7). The game has an unusual start time as it will tip-off at 12:30 pm.
Pelicans (13-13)
New Orleans wraps up a four-game homestand on Sunday when they host the 76ers.
Kings Press Row Podcast for December 6, 2017: On the road and a return home for SAC
hosts Charlie O. Mallonee & Jordan “Chapes” Chapin
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The Kings had a very interesting finish to their time in Northern California with a win in Oakland and a loss at the Golden 1 Center to the Bucks
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Sac Kings picked up a win in Chicago but it was a very close game that they were very fortunate to come away with the “W” in their column
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The Kings had to face the “Greek Freak” and company last Saturday night. It was a very strange game that SAC had a chance to win after trailing 14-0 to begin the game
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SAC came home after the game in Milwaukee on Saturday then flew back out to Cleveland on Tuesday to continue the four-game road trip
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Now it’s time to face the King James and Boogie before coming home to face the Raptors on Sunday
Kings Battle, But Can’t Overcome LeBron As The Cavs Win 101-95
Cleveland Cavaliers’ LeBron James celebrates after scoring in the second half of an NBA basketball game against the Sacramento Kings, Wednesday, Dec. 6, 2017, in Cleveland. The Cavaliers won 101-95. (AP Photo/Tony Dejak)
By: Jeremiah Salmonson
The Sacramento Kings came into the Cleveland Cavaliers’ territory looking to rebound after a loss to the Milwaukee Bucks 104-109 on Sunday.
Neither the Cavs nor the Kings impressed in the first quarter. Nonetheless, the Kings led 22-19 going into the second quarter. Lebron James took only one shot in the first and was a non-factor. Zach Randolph proved to be a force in the first, scoring the most points for the Kings.
Heading into the second quarter, the Kings had to be feeling good about themselves staying competitive with the Cavs. That good feeling continued as the Kings and Cavs went head-to-head in the second. This possibly happened because of the lackluster first half from James. As a spectator, you could tell he had not put all his legs in the first half. Randolph continued to push forward and dominate the floor on the Kings’ end. At the end of the first half, the Kings led 57-48.
The Kings were efficient in limiting the damage after small mistakes and turnovers. Keeping James contained coupled with a 12-3 run going into the second half led to a 57-48 first half Kings lead.
Going into the third quarter, the Kings felt in control. They led by 17 at one point, but then James began to heat up. He ended the third with his points in the game, reaching 25.
Kevin Love also had 18 points by the time the third came to an end. The Kings still led going into the fourth, but you could feel it dwindling. The third quarter would end 78-73 in favor of Kings.
Kyle Korver and the Cavs opened the fourth quarter on a 9-1 run, thanks to Korver’s three three-point shots. The game in the fourth would prove to be competitive though as the Kings came back to even things out. With 6:20 to go in the game, the Kings committed their 12th turnover and it led to them losing the lead 89-91 to the Cavs. JaKarr Sampson set a career high in rebounds, taking 16 from the Cavs. The game would go back and forth until a shot clock turnover with 1:02 to go, and the Kings trailing 95-97. It was a huge blow that the Kings ultimately could not overcome. James proceeded to hit a jumper beyond the arc and sent the Kings home losers for the 17th time 95-101.
It was a thrilling game, but ultimately the Kings lost, and I’m sure Dave Jaeger was not happy. However, I think the Kings are right on the edge of being more competitive. They held one of the best teams in the NBA down and should hold their heads high after this game. Ultimately, a future Hall Of Famer, James, beat them.
Kings make a huge comeback in Milwaukee but lose to Bucks 109-104
by Charlie O. Mallonee with Jordan Chapin
If you turned off the Kings – Bucks game after watching for just four-minutes and 15-seconds, you know the score was Milwaukee 14 and Sacramento 0. The Kings entire starting lineup had not scored a point and were sent to the bench after just three-minutes and 10-seconds of playing time. So, to see the final score be Milwaukee 109 to 104 for Sacramento must come as a great shock to you.
Even more shocking to you who turned off the game may be the fact the Kings cut the Bucks lead to just one-point with 1:43 to go in the game. The Kings never held the lead in the contest but they had a legitimate chance to win the game with under two minutes remaining to play.
The Game Summary
The Kings starting five did not score a point in the opening quarter of the game. They scored just 16-points in the first-half which is lowest scoring total for a starting five in the NBA since 2014. Buddy Hield scored 13-points for the second-unit and Zach Randolph put up 12-points to help keep the Kings in the game. Giannis Antetokounmpo posted 19 points, Eric Bledsoe put 16 in the books and Khris Middleton scored 14 points to lead the Bucks to a 63 – 52 lead at half-time.
The Kings had to start the third quarter without Willie Cauley-Stein who strained his lower back. The injury was not deemed serious but the team wanted to be cautious and sat him on the bench for the second-half.
The Bucks came out in the third-period and caught fire just like they had at the beginning of the game. They opened up a 20-point lead twice in the quarter with eight-points from “the Freak”, five put up by Middleton and five recorded by Brogdon in just over three-minutes on the floor. At the end of three-quarters, the Bucks held an 88-76 lead.
In the final period, it was all about the second-unit for the Kings once again. The Kings were led by Bogdon Bogdanovic who led the Sacramento scoring with nine-points. “Bogi” showed the world he is not afraid to take charge when the pressure is on. Buddy Hield added six-points while Frank Mason III and Z-Bo each put up four-points.
The Kings outscored the Bucks 28-21 in the final quarter but the opening runs by Milwaukee in the first and third periods proved to be too much and the Bucks won the game 109-104.
The Kings made a great comeback but it was not enough for Coach Joerger
Outstanding performers
Kings
- Zach Randolph led the Kings scoring attack against the Bucks with 22-points. He went 10-for-15 from the floor.
- Buddy Hield jumped back in the scorebook in a big way with 19-points. He shot 6-for-12 from the field and hit 4-of-6 from behind the 3-point line. Hield also grabbed six rebounds and dished out four assists.
- De’Aaron Fox overcame a poor early start to record 14-points. He shot 5-for-10 from the floor while hauling in six rebounds and distributing three assists.
- Frank Mason III had another amazing game. The second-round draft pick showed again why many thought he would go late in the first-round. He put up 13-points and added three assists in the effort to overcome the Bucks early onslaught.
Bucks
- “The Greek Freak” Giannis Antetokounmpo was the game’s leading scorer with 33-points, 13-rebounds and five assists. The 22-year old is simply amazing.
- Khris Middleton recorded 25-points hitting 9-of-15 shots from the floor. He went 3-for-5 from 3-point land.
- Eric Bledsoe – who has found new life in Milwaukee since his trade from Phoenix – scored 19-points while converting 9-of-10 opportunities from the free throw lines.
Team Stats
Sacramento (7-16)
- SAC hit 37-of-77 attempts from the floor for 48.1-percent field goal shooting (which would usually mean a win)
- The Kings went 11-for-24 (45.8-percent) from behind the 3-point line. Again that percentage would normally be associated with a win.
- The team converted 19-of-21 (90.5-percent) chances from the charity stripe. See the Bucks stats to realize why those numbers are not that impressive.
- The Kings had 20 assists and 15 turnovers. That is far below the desired 2:1 assists to turnover ratio that is the goal in the NBA.
Milwaukee (12-9)
- The Bucks shot 49.3-percent from the field (34-for-69). They hit just 6-of-19 (31.6-percent) from behind the 3-point line.
- The Bucks really helped themselves from the free throw line. They hit 35-of-42 chances from the stripe in the game.
- The Bucks use the Fast Break to perfection as they outscored the Kings 13-2 on the break in the game.
Up Next
Kings
The team flew home after the game and will head back on the road on Tuesday when they will travel to Cleveland to get ready for a game of Wednesday with the Cavaliers.
Bucks
Milwaukee will return to action on Monday night in Boston versus the Celtics.
One last note
Justin Jackson who is on assignment with the Reno Bighorns of the G-League scored 26-points, grabbed six rebounds and added three assists on Saturday night.
Randolph shines, leading Kings to 107-106 victory over Bulls
Sacramento Kings forward Zach Randolph (50) shoots between Chicago Bulls forward Paul Zipser (16) and center Robin Lopez (42) during the second half of an NBA basketball game in Chicago, Friday, Dec. 1, 2017. (AP Photo/Jeff Haynes)
By: Peter Elliott
CHICAGO, IL. — It was the Zach Randolph show on Friday night at the United Center.
The 36-year-old veteran big man yet again proved his worth, leading the Sacramento Kings (7-15) to a 107-106 victory over the Chicago Bulls (3-18). Randolph earned his first double-double of the season, as he notched a season-high in points with 25 while grabbing 13 rebounds in 32 minutes of action.
Although Randolph’s star shined the brightest, the Kings also received important contributions from role players like Bogdan Bogdanović, Garrett Temple, and Willie Cauley-Stein, who combined for 42 points, 12 assists, and 11 rebounds.
Bogdanović, a first-year shooting guard from Serbia also achieved his season-high in points with 19 on 6-12 shooting from the field and six made free throws in 30 minutes, the most action he has seen so far this season.
Buddy Hield struggled once more in his seven minutes of playing time, as the second-year shooting guard failed to connect on his two shots and played lackluster defense, good for a plus-minus differential of -8.
Neither of the teams that took the floor at the United Center on Friday night appear poised to contend for the Larry O’Brien trophy this summer. However, both teams made it competitive throughout, with the biggest point margin being just seven points in the third quarter.
The Bulls, who are now losers of 13 of their last 14 games turned in a solid showing for a three-win team, but it was their bench that shined. Sacramento had trouble shutting down a seat-warming trio of Paul Zipser, Cristiano Felicio, and Jerian Grant, who combined for a whopping 55 points, four more than the starters’ total of 51.
What’s Next: The Kings will head north into Milwaukee on Saturday night, seeking revenge for 112-87 blowout loss at the hands of the Bucks just a mere four days ago. Tipoff is slated for 5:30 PT/7:30 CT p.m. on NBC Sports California.
Kings Press Row Podcast Week 7 in the NBA
hosts Charlie O Mallonee & Jordan Chapin
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Week 7 in the NBA brings some interesting match ups for us to watch on NBA TV
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The Kings send three players to Reno to get some playing time
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SAC wins 2 and loses 2 in week 7
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Week 8 brings a brutal 4 game trip to the schedule for the Kings
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Charlie O and the Chap break it all down for you
Kings Suffer Hangover From Win Over Warriors As Bucks’ Giannis Antetokounmpo Scores 32 In 112-87 Romp
Milwaukee Bucks forward Khris Middleton, left, congratulates teammate Giannis Antetokounmpo after he scored during the second half of an NBA basketball game against the Sacramento Kings, Tuesday, Nov. 28, 2017, in Sacramento, Calif. The Bucks won 112-87. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli)
by Tony Renteria
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The Sacramento Kings (6-14) came off a great over over the defending NBA champion Golden State Warriors. Tonight, the Kings hosted the Milwaukee Bucks (9-9) and looked as if the team bus never arrived from Oakland as they fell embarrassingly 112-87 in front of the Purple and Black faithful.
When the Kings brought in Dave Joerger to coach the team two seasons ago, it was the hope he could bring life into a somewhat experienced group of seasoned NBA players. The squad he has now with Rookies and second year players getting many minutes, he has his hands full. This young squad is capable of a great win against the NBA elite in the Warriors, but also landing on a sour note against a mediocre Bucks squad.
The Kings were outscored 29 to 11 in the second quarter, and the Bucks cruised to an easy road win. It’s the type of loss that’s hard to swallow and forget, but that’s exactly what the Kings need to do as they start a road trip in Chicago on Friday as they take on the Bulls.
The Bucks were led by forward Giannis Antetokounmpo, who scored 32 points in just 26 minutes. He also added five rebounds and assists. The Bucks needed this win as they tried to keep pace in a tough Central Division as they try to move up from fourth place.
The Kings, who are in last place in the Pacific Division, fall father back on what looks to be another very long year for this organization. A bright spot tonight was Garret Temple, who scored 18 points, Temple has had two back-to-back games with solid production as he chipped in 14 points against the Warriors yesterday.
The Bucks face the Utah Jazz on Thursday before heading home to host the Kings on Saturday as the Kings look for some payback in Milwaukee.
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