Category: Sacramento Kings

Kings hold off Lakers for road victory; Now headed to Golden State looking for five in a row Wednesday night

Published on by Eric HeLeave a comment

Sacramento Kings’ DeMarcus Cousins, right, drives past Los Angeles Lakers’ Larry Nance Jr. during the second half of an NBA basketball game, Tuesday, Feb. 14, 2017, in Los Angeles. The Kings won 97-96. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

By: Eric He

LOS ANGELES–Lou Williams missed a game-winning shot at the buzzer as the Kings held off the Lakers for a slim one-point win on the road on Tuesday, 97-96.

DeMarcus Cousins led the way with 40 points and he scored the Kings’ last 10 points to seal the win for Sacramento. The Kings blew a 13-point fourth quarter llead, but were resilient and bounced back despite the Lakers tying the game several times.

Williams had hit two three-pointers late to even the score, the latter with 30 seconds left to tie the game at 96-96. A free throw by Cousins gave the Kings a one-point lead, and Williams’ missed shot at the buzzer ended the contest.

The Kings led 43-41 at halftime, and gained separation in the second half, though the Lakers made a comeback.

Besides Cousins’ 40, Darren Collison and Ben McLemore both contributed 13 points.

“This was actually a big win for us, believe it or not” Collison said. “We didn’t lose focus. Normally in the past we will lose focus and we won’t come out with that same urgency that we did after we win a few games.”

The Lakers gave into the fact it was a hard effort but time ran out and the Lakers Julius Randle who scored 11 and said they had their chances and cut it real close but just couldn’t seal the deal, “We gave ourselves a chance,” said Randle, who also collected seven rebounds. “The second unit did a good job of coming back, making a run in the end. We had a chance, but it just didn’t go our way.”

The Kings have now won four in a row going into Wednesday night’s tilt against the Warriors at Oracle Arena.

Sacramento Kings podcast with Charlie O: Kings on three game win streak and will face Lakers next at Staples

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Portland Trail Blazers center Mason Plumlee (24) dunks in front of Oklahoma City Thunder center Steven Adams, right, in the fourth quarter of an NBA basketball game in Oklahoma City, Sunday, Feb. 5, 2017. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)

The Sacramento Kings are currently tied for ninth in the Western Conference standings which puts them one position out of the playoffs. Their tied with Portland, they are two games behind Denver whose in the eighth position and final playoff position right now. All three of those teams are 5-5 in their last ten games. Denver is on a one game winning streak where they just demolished Golden State on Monday night. Good gosh 24 three pointers in that game for Denver I didn’t know they were capable of that.

Golden State didn’t know that Denver was capable of that. Portland has lost two games in a row and Sacramento has won three games in a row and have the Lakers next. Denver and Portland just made a trade generally when you’ve got two teams that are this close together and fighting for a playoff birth the last thing your going to do is make a trade and they made a trade of centers. So the Nuggets get Mason Plumlee from the Portland Trailblazers whose been averaging 11 points per game and is a pretty good ball player the Nuggets also picked up a second round pick. Portland gets back from the Nuggets Jusuf Nurkic who is a center averaging seven points per game five rebounds per game they get a first round pick a pick that originally belonged to Memphis.

Charlie O podcasts Sacramento Kings basketball each week at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

 

Kings win again surging past the Pelicans 105-99

Published on by Charlie O. MalloneeLeave a comment
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Boogie and the Brow look for the rebound Photo: NBAE

by Charlie O. Mallonee

The Sacramento Kings were in a must win situation on Sunday night when they hosted the New Orleans Pelicans. The Pelicans are also a “Tier 3” team that is trying to break free of the NBA Draft Lottery and make it into the first-round of the NBA Western Conference Playoffs.

The Kings entered the game with a predicted 69-percent chance of winning the contest with the Pelicans. The Kings had won three of their five previous games. Sacramento is still in the hunt for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference. The men in white and purple had a lot on the line.

The Kings (22-32) did not disappoint their fans as they downed the Pelicans (21-34)  105-99. Sacramento repeated their familiar pattern where they under-performed in the first half and excelled in the second half. The Kings have been victorious in four of their last six games.

Where the Kings stand in the Playoff Race

The Kings are currently in 10th place 1.5 games behind the Denver Nuggets for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference. The Trail Blazers stand in between the two teams one game behind the Nuggets and one-half game ahead of the Kings. All three teams are 5-5 in their last 10 games.

It was another battle of Kentucky Wildcats on Sunday night

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The premiere match up of the night was at center which featured two former Kentucky Wildcats – DeMarcus Cousins and Anthony Davis. Davis – “the Brow” is an All-Star starter for the Western Conference and Cousins – “Boogie” is a Western Conference All-Star reserve.

Davis scored a game-high 32 points and made it double-double by adding 10 rebounds. He shot an impressive 11-for-24 from the floor and went a perfect 9-for-9 from the free throw line in his 40-minutes on the floor.

Cousins led the Kings scoring attack with 28 points and also recorded a double-double by hauling in 14 rebounds. He dished out seven assists. Cousins shot 7-for-14 from the field and went 14-for-16 from the charity stripe.

Stars of the game

Kings

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Collison drives past Solomon Hill Photo: NBAE

Darren Collison gets the star for Sacramento. When the Kings needed someone to step up, Collison was the man. He finished with 20 points (7-for-16 shooting including 2 3-point baskets), eight assists, six rebounds and three steals. Collison again played big minutes playing just under 41-minutes in the game.

Pelicans

The star has to go to “the Brow”. The fact is without the presence of Davis and his finesse on the floor the Pelicans are never really in this game. New Orleans is very much like Sacramento. Take their former Kentucky big man out of the lineup and they are a team that is in deep, deep trouble.

Looking into the book

Kings

  • Matt Barnes was important on offense when needed him and then on defense when the situation called for it. Barnes finished with 12 points, five rebounds, three assists. He also hit 2-of-6 3-point tries.
  • Ben McLemore had an 11 point game with nine of those points coming off three 3-point baskets. He hit on 3-of-5 tries from long range.
  • Arron Afflalo put up 10 points, had two assists and one steal
  • Anthony Tolliver struggled a bit shooting as he scored nine points on nine shots. All of his points came off 3-point buckets.
  • Willie Cauley-Stein – the other big man from Kentucky – scored eight points in 17-minutes on the floor. Cauley-Stein did a pretty good job defending Davis which is no easy task.
  • As a team: the Kings shot 44.9-percent; they went  11-for-31 (35.5-percent) for 3-pointers; they converted 24-of-27 from the free throw line; they out-rebounded the Pels 46-36; Sacramento had 23 assists and made 20 turnovers giving up 16 points to New Orleans.

Pelicans

  • Jrue Holiday had another solid game posting a double-double with 16 points and 11 assists
  • Dante Cunningham scored 14 points hitting on 4-0f-7 from long range. Do not leave that man open in 3-point land.
  • Solomon Hill went 3-for-5 from the field (all 3-point attempts) and scored nine points
  • As a team: the Pels shot 41.5-percent; they went 13-for-31 (41.9-percent) from downtown; NOP had 23 assists and 18 turnovers that resulted in 15 Sacramento points.

Now that’s hitting below the below the belt

The Pelicans’ Buddy Hield was ejected from the game with 2:55 remaining to play in the second quarter after he literally hit DeMarcus Cousins below the below the belt. Cousins had already been assessed a technical foul and any retaliation by Cousins could well have resulted in his ejection. The Kings big man kept his cool. The officials in New Jersey reviewed the play and Hield’s actions were ruled a Flagrant 2 foul which resulted in an automatic ejection.

Who knows how the game would have turned out had Hield still been on the floor in the fourth quarter?

Night of Technical Fouls

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Cousins looks to drive the paint Photo: NBAE

The officiating crew felt free to pass out “tech fouls” in the game on Sunday night. They issued three:

  1. Pelicans head coach Alvin Gentry picked up the first “tech” just 2:11 into the game when he let the officials know he felt DeMarcus Cousins should have been called for a foul on a play that resulted in two points for Sacramento.
  2. Cousins picked up his 17th technical foul of the season with 1:06 to go in the first quarter when he tangled up with Donatas Motiejunas under the Pelicans basket. The play was reviewed to see if it was a flagrant foul which it was ruled not to be. If Cousins is assessed tech foul number 18, he will be suspended for another game under NBA rules since he is over the 16-tech foul limit.
  3. New Orleans was charged with a technical for a 3-second defensive violation in the first quarter.

In this writers opinion, the Gentry call was a quick trigger and the Cousins “tech” is a candidate to be rescinded. Also, the NBA needs to review the use of “the Tech” and decide what its purpose really is in the structure of the game. “The Association” also needs to grasp that fans do not come to an arena to watch refs call tech fouls.

Up next

The Kings will play the first of their two road games in the month of February on Tuesday in Los Angeles when they face the Lakers. This is another must win game for the Kings. The Lakers are a lower level “Tier 3” team that Kings have to beat if they are to jump into the eighth and final playoff slot.

The Pelicans travel to the Valley of the Sun to face the Suns on Monday night.

 

 

Sacramento Kings Friday game wrap: Kings Clip Hawks 108-107

Published on by tonyrenteriaLeave a comment

Sacramento Kings forward DeMarcus Cousins, right, hugs teammate Darren Collison after the Kings came from 22 points down to beat the Atlanta Hawks 108-107 in an NBA basketball game Friday, Feb. 10, 2017, in Sacramento, Calif. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli)

By Tony Renteria

SACRAMENTO–The Sacramento Kings (21-32) coming off a big win against the Boston Celtics hosted the visiting Atlanta Hawks (31-22) tonight in the capital city with a sold out crowd. The Kings have been looking to fight up to the eighth spot to make the playoff this season and tonight’s 108-107 thrilling win has helped the home towns team cause.

The Kings have be on the upside of the power curve the last month and tonight’s win against a quality opponent is the a  good sign that that rate will continue.  The Kings have been under some pressure to part ways with All Star Center DeMarcus Cousins either for his off court actions or to start the rebuilding process with a new squad.

Cousins still continues to deliver in the paint and on the stat line as he added 22 points and eleven rounds.  He was aided by Ben McLemore who had a great game for the young player who is still trying to find his feet in the NBA season grind.

The Hawks who fell on the third game of this west coast swing after a hard fought vicoty on Wednesday in the Mile High City against the Nuggets were led by Tim Hardaway JR who scored 28 points on the road and was helped by Paul Millsap who scored 25 of his own in the losing battle.

The Hawks continue the West Coast swing by heading up north to Portland on Monday to face the Trailblazers while the Kings host the New Orleans Pelicans on Sunday.

 

 

Sacramento Kings podcast with Charlie O: Lots of interest in Cousins but he won’t be boogying out of Sacramento anytime soon

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Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green, left, goes to the basket against Sacramento Kings forward DeMarcus Cousins during the first half of an NBA basketball game Saturday, Feb. 4, 2017, in Sacramento, Calif. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli)

The recent trade rumor involving Sacramento Kings star DeMarcus Cousins Kings team president Vlade Divak came out this last week talking to ESPN and it was disappointing because a lot of the local media guys have been waiting for some statements and the Kings would have been better served releasing a statement like this to one of the local outlets first. I would have preferred it to be Sports Radio Service but the guy who would have deserved it first in my opinion would be Jason Jones who is the one writer who works for the Sac Bee who travels to every game.

Jones would have been the most appropriate writer to have given this story to first. But Divak in the interview flat out said, “we are not trading Cousins, stop it, get over it, leave it alone were not trading Cousins” now that does that mean their not trading Cousins ever? That’s not what Divak said “were not trading Cousins now and were trying to sign him to an extension.” People have to got to get a grip that’s what the Kings are doing.

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

Sacramento surprise: Short-handed Kings end Celtics’ seven-game win streak

Published on by moepeaLeave a comment

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By Morris Phillips

SACRAMENTO–Talk about avoiding embarassment.  Kings’ GM Vlade Divac reiterated on Monday that the team will not trade leading scorer DeMarcus Cousins prior to the upcoming trade deadline.  Then coach Dave Joerger explained that the team is working through Cousins’ issues regarding technical fouls that left him unavailable on Wednesday after picking up an NBA-leading 16th technical in Monday’s sleepy loss to the Bulls. The Kings however turned things around wining their second game in three games beating the Boston Celtics Wednesday night at Golden One Arena 108-92.

Without Cousins, Rudy Gay, Omri Casspi and Garrett Temple–the latter trio all injured–the Kings undertook the task of taking down the red-hot Celtics and returning prince Isaiah Thomas, the former King who was deemed a poor fit offensively along side Cousins and Gay.  That belief prompted the team to trade Thomas in the fall of 2014, only to see the vest pocket guard return on Wednesday as an All-Star averaging a gaudy 29.9 points per game.

For an organization known for dysfunction, impetious decisions and losing seasons, this wasn’t the ideal setup for a critical win to breathe life into the Kings’ diminishing playoff aspirations.  But win they did, pulling away from the Celtics in the second half despite having just seven available players.

 

The Sacramento Kings snap the Celtics 7-game winning streak

Published on by rxsluggerLeave a comment

Sacramento Kings forward Matt Barnes, left, battles Boston Celtics center Al Horford, center, and Boston Celtics forward Amir Johnson for the ball during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Wednesday, Feb. 8, 2017, in Sacramento, Calif. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli)

by Jerry Feitelberg

The Sacramento Kings, currently in 10th place in the Western Conference, snapped the Boston Celtics 7-game winning streak Wednesday night at Golden 1 Arena by a score of 108-92. The Kings depleted by injuries to Rudy Gay, Garrett Temple, Omri Cousins, and Ty Lawson, who left the game in the second quarter due to a strained left hamstring, were able to defeat the Atlantic Division leaders. They were down to just seven players, but they got production for all of them in recording the win. Also, All-Star center, DeMarcus Cousins, sat out the game as he was given a one-game suspension for recording his 16th technical foul of the season in Sacramento’s last game against Chicago.

The Kings, under head coach Dave Joerger, have,  in two of their last three games, beaten the NBA’s best team, the Golden State Warriors and the Atlantic Division leader, the Boston Celtics. Without any doubt, the confidence level of the club has to be sky high as they are just 2 1/2 games out of a playoff spot. Former Warrior, Matt Barnes had this to say about the Kings confidence level ““We’ll see next game, you know what I mean?” forward Matt Barnes said. “We had a great game against the Warriors and then came out flat the next night. That’s one thing that I preached after the game, let’s keep taking steps forward. We may not win all the games, but we want to continue to improve as a team. We’re too far into the season to take steps back.”

Darren Collison led the Kings with 25 points. Ben McLemore had 17, Matt Barnes knocked down 14 to go with 11 rebounds. Willie Cauley-Stein had 14, and Anthony Tolliver added 11. Isiah Thomas scored 26 for Boston. Amir Johnson had 14, and Al Horford and Marcus Stein each had 10.
The Kings play the Atlanta Hawks Friday night at the Golden 1 Center. Game time will be at 7:30 pm.

Kings can’t build on highlight win

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Sacramento Kings forward Matt Barnes squats after his inbound pass to teammate DeMarcus Cousins was stolen by Chicago Bulls guard Dwyane Wade who went for a breakaway stuff during the closing moments of an NBA basketball game Monday, Feb. 6, 2017, in Sacramento, Calif. The Bulls won 112-107. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli)

By Jeremy Harness

SACRAMENTO – What a difference two nights makes.

The Kings followed up their biggest victory of the year – which came Saturday night against the Warriors in this building – with a major letdown of a 112-107 loss to the Chicago Bulls inside of the Golden 1 Center Monday night.

After being down by as many as 27 points in the second half, the Kings inched their way back into the game, eventually tying the game with less than a minute remaining before succumbing to the shooting prowess of Dwyane Wade.

Wade doesn’t have the hops that he used to, but he tortured the Kings on Monday with a midrange fade-away from the post-up position that has become his weapon of choice these days. He sliced Sacramento up with 31 points on 12-of-18 shooting to go along with six rebounds and three assists.

DeMarcus Cousins, on the other hand, endured a horrid night from the field, making only five of his 16 shots for 18 points. He shook it off, however, just in time to nail a 3-pointer with less than a minute left to cut the Bulls’ seemingly-insurmountable lead to only two.

After the Kings got a stop on the ensuing Chicago possession, Cousins then tied the game at 107-107 with a layup and fouled Taj Gibson, the Bulls’ best interior defender, out of the game in the process.

He missed the free throw, and Wade then made the Kings pay when he dribbled down slowly against Matt Barnes before sticking a silky-smooth jumper in his face to give Chicago a two-point lead with 13 seconds remaining. He then stole the inbounds pass, and his breakaway dunk with 11 seconds left sank the Kings for good.

Cousins’ frustration ultimately boiled over in the final seconds, drawing a second technical after complaining about a no-call on a desperation 3-point attempt that was not close to going in.

The excitement of beating a team like the Warriors clearly was not there at the start. As a result, the Bulls blitzed the Kings right out of the gate, taking a 27-9 lead with 30 seconds left in the first quarter.

Chicago led by as many as 18 points in the first half, but the Kings began to creep their way back into the game, as a baby hook by Kosta Koufos cut the Bulls’ lead to eight with 4:33 left in the second quarter.

Sacramento, which appeared to be out of sync on offense as well as defensively for much of the night, had its steam run out, and the Bulls took advantage by slowly fattening their lead as the first half drew to a close.

Chicago then bolstered its lead to 27 in the second half, before the Kings crawled their way back into the contest, as they trailed 85-69 at the end of the third quarter.

That’s when Gibson drew a technical from the officials. At that point, Cousins, Barnes and Rajon Rondo, all got into the, well, spirited discussion that resulted in technicals for Cousins as well as Barnes. That seemed to light a fire under the Kings, and Sacramento gained ground more quickly.

However, the Kings were never able to take the lead, and Wade made sure of that.

NOTES: Rondo, who spent last season with the Kings, got a not-so-warm welcome from the Sacramento crowd when he entered the game for the first time late in the first quarter, getting a healthy portion of boos.

He finished the game with five points on 2-of-6 shooting with six assists and a pair of rebounds.

Sacramento Kings Saturday game wrap: What a difference a day makes – Kings beat the Warriors 109-106 in OT

Published on by Charlie O. MalloneeLeave a comment
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Darren Collison drives past Klay Thompson Photo NBAE

by Charlie O. Mallonee

SACRAMENTO–There is an old song that Dinah Washington made famous (that’s for all of my readers who have lived a little) titled “What a Diff’rence a Day Makes”. That would be a fitting title for the Sacramento Kings 109-106 overtime win over the Golden State Warriors on Saturday night at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento.

On Friday night, the Kings dropped a last second decision to the Phoenix Suns when Devin Booker banked in a jump shot at the final buzzer to hand Sacramento a painful 105-103 loss.

The way the Kings responded to that loss and the effort they would put forth versus the team with the best record in “the Association” was really critical for how this team would play for the rest off the season. They also had to face a Golden State franchise that had won the last 13 consecutive meetings between the two teams. All in all, the odds looked stacked against Sacramento.

The Kings did exactly what they needed to do by coming out and starting the game strong. Cousins scored 12 points in the opening 12 minutes and the Kings needed those points as Warriors superstar Steph Curry posted 14 points of his own in the opening quarter. Sacramento took a 31-27 lead after the first period.

The second quarter brought new stars to the floor as the second units came into the game. Kings reserve center Willie Cauley-Stein scored 12 points hitting on 6-of-8 shooting in 11-minutes of playing time. Klay Thompson took over the offense for the “Dubs” scoring 11 points for his squad.

At the end of 24 minutes, the game was tied at 56-all.

The third period brought more of the same high-pace scoring action that had been seen in the first half. The Warriors scored 26 points behind outstanding 3-point shooting (6-for-12, 50-percent). It was the traditional “Splash Brothers” tandem of Thompson (11) and Curry (9) that led the attack for the Warriors.

Sacramento also posted 26 points in the third quarter shooting 50-percent from the field (9-for-18) and going a perfect 7-for-7 from the free throw line. Cousins (9), Collison (8) and McLemore (6) handled most of the scoring for the Kings.

At the end of three periods, the score was Golden State 82-Sacramento 82.

There was one other important incident in the third quarter. Warriors coach Steve Kerr was ejected from the game with 3:34 remaining in the period for arguing a foul call with the officials. Kerr was issued the first technical foul and that enraged him enough that he ran unto the floor after the referee. Needless to say, the second “tech-foul” was issued immediately.

“I was mad about a lot of things, but I got what I deserved. I deserved to be ejected, so I had no complaints. I was really angry about some calls and like I said, I got mad and I deserved to get kicked out”.

On to the fourth quarter which if you had to give it a title would be known as the “Ugly Quarter”. Both teams had difficulty executing. Golden State shot 28.6-percent (6-for-21) and went 1-for-8 from 3-point range in the period. The Warriors scored just 16 points.

The Kings shot 33.3-percent (7-for-21) and hit 2-of-4 shots from beyond the 3-point arc. Sacramento did not go to the free throw line one time in the period. The Kings put 16 points in the book.

At the end of regulation, the Warriors and Kings were tied at 98-98.

The Kings roared into overtime like they owned it by going on a 7-0 run. The Warriors first point in OT came off a made free throw by Draymond Green with 2:39 to go in the extra period.

The Warriors cut the Kings lead to one point when Green scored on a fast break dunk with 41.1 left on the clock. Cousins missed a 15-foot jump shot and the Curry missed a layup opportunity off the Warriors rebound.

Following a Golden State timeout, Curry missed a jump shot that Collison rebounded and who was fouled immediately. Curry fouled Darren Collison on the inbounds play with 2.5 to play. Collison converted both free throws and sealed the win for the Kings 109-106.

The OT win ends some very negative streaks for the Kings (20-31)

  1. The win ended a 13-game losing streak to the Golden State Warriors. The last time the Kings had defeated the Warriors was on March 27, 2013.
  2. The overtime victory also ended a four-game home losing streak. The Kings have yet to establish a true homecourt advantage in their new Golden 1 Center home. This win could be a foundational victory that helps establish a “not in my house” attitude.
  3. This big win also stopped a three-game losing streak that carried over from the Kings “eight-game road trip from hell” with losses in Philly and Houston.

The loss ended a very positive streak for the “Dubs” (43-8)

  1. The Warriors had won five games in a row prior to the overtime loss to the Kings on Saturday night.
  2. The loss also ends a steak of incredible of domination over another professional franchise

Who did what in the game

Kings

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Cousins takes to the rack Photo NBAE
  • DeMarcus Cousins scored a team-high 32 points to with 12 rebounds to record a double-double. He was one assist – nine – shy of a triple-double. He also had two steals and one blocked shot. “Big win. It shows this team has a lot of character, a lot of fight, especially coming off the loss we had last night. Complete team effort – I think this was our most complete game of the season.”
  • Darren Collison recorded 18 points and three assists. He shot 8-for-13 from the field.
  • Willie Cauley-Stein put 14 points in the book in just 17-minutes on the floor. He also had four rebounds and two steals.
  • Ben McLemore had another good night as a starter scoring 10 points in 29-minutes of playing time.
  • The Kings bench scored 45 points compared to just 16 points for the GSW bench.
  • Sacramento shot 44.9-percent from the field (43-for-88) and hit 7-of-23 from 3-point land in the game. They converted 16-of-19 free throws (84.2-percent).
  • The Kings outscored the Warriors 56-34 in the paint.

 

Warriors

  • Steph Curry scored a game-high 35 points and added nine assists in the game. He hit on 8-of-14 attempts from behind the 3-point line.
  • Klay Thompson made “the Splash Brothers” effect present by adding 25 points against the Kings. He hit on 10-of-25 shots from the floor including sinking four 3-pointers.
  • Draymond Green put up 16 points in the contest. He also had eight rebounds and six assists
  • Kevin Durant had what has to called a “quiet” night. KD put just 10 points in the book and grabbed nine rebounds.
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Cauley-Stein goes sky high versus the Warriors Photo NBAE

Coaches analysis of the game

Kings head coach Dave Joerger

  • That’s a good win – heck of a basketball game.
  • Second night of a back to back for us and guys competing and staying together and being rewarded for staying together and battling through.
  • It is a happy locker room and they should feel really good.

Warriors head man Steve Kerr

  • It was one of the worst games we’ve played all season.
  • We had no purpose.
  • The ball didn’t move.
  • I didn’t recognize our team out there tonight.

Up next on the schedule

  • The Warriors are off until Wednesday, February 8th when they will host the Bulls in a nationally televised game on ESPN.
  • The Kings host the Bulls on Monday night at the Golden 1 Center.

 

 

 

Buzzer beating bank shot gives the Suns a 105-103 win over the Kings

Published on by Charlie O. MalloneeLeave a comment
Phoenix Suns v Sacramento Kings
Booker shoots the game winner versus the Kings on Friday night Photo: NBAE

by Charlie O. Mallonee

NBA fans used to live for the final two minutes of a game. They were rough, tumble and full of exciting action. Now with all of the stoppages for replay reviews, the excitement of the final 120 seconds has been all but lost.

On Friday night at the Golden 1 Center, the sellout crowd (17,608) were treated to an “old fashion” nail biting two minute finish in the game between the Phoenix Suns and the Sacramento Kings.

The excitement began with 2:32 remaining in the game when DeMarcus Cousins broke a 98-all tie with a step-back 3-point basket from the right corner off an assist from Matt Barnes. The Suns missed a jump on their possession. The Kings grabbed the rebound and called a timeout with 2:09 to go.

Cousins missed a jumper coming out of the timeout that was rebounded by Bledsoe of the Suns. T.J. Warren sank a jump shot at the 1:34 mark to bring Phoenix within one point of the lead at 101-100.

Each team missed a field goal opportunity then Cousins missed a layup that Lawson rebounded and then he was fouled by the Suns Tyson Chandler. The Kings maintained possession and Cousins attempted a 3-point shot that missed and Chandler rebounded.

The Suns Warren hit a 3-pointer (assist Booker) with 21.6-seconds on the clock to give his team a 103-101 lead. The Kings immediately called a timeout.

The Kings ran their play out of the timeout and with 8.2-seconds to go Darren Collison sank a 15-foot jump shot (assist Cousins) to tie the game at 103-103. It was the Suns turn to call a timeout.

Phoenix inbounded the ball at midcourt and to no one’s surprise the ball wound up in the hands of second-year guard Devin Booker. Booker put up a 20-foot fade away bank shot that  went in the hoop as the final buzzer sounded. The Suns had won the game 105-103 to the stunned amazement of the big crowd.

Who did what in the game

Kings (19-31)

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Cousins hits two of his 22 versus the Suns Photo: NBAE

 

  • DeMarcus Cousins led the Kings scoring attack with a triple-double: 22 points, 12 rebounds and 12 assists(sixth career triple-double). Cousins got into foul trouble and picked up his fifth personal foul with 9:22 to go in the 4th quarter and he did not return until there was just 3:18 left in the game. How much of a difference could the big man have made in that six minutes is now a question to be pondered over beers at the local pub.
  • Darren Collison scored 19 points for the Kings as he shot 8-for-16 from the floor and hit 3-of-4 3-point attempts. Joerger was very happy with Collison’s play after the game.
  • There was a Ben McLemore sighting on Friday night. McLemore made a rare start as the team made adjustments with Temple out due to injury and Arron Afflalo did not dress due to illness. McLemore played 35-minutes and scored 18 points.
  • Ty Lawson made an impact in the game off the bench again for Sacramento on Friday night. The speedy guard put up 18 points hitting on 7-of-10 attempts from the field and went a perfect 4-for-4 from the free throw line.
  • Matt Barnes did not have a big scoring night (6-points) but hauled in 10 rebounds and dished out 4 assists for the Kings.
  • Willie Cauley-Stein played only 14-minutes in the contest but came up big especially in the six-minutes that Cousins was sitting on the bench in the fourth quarter with the five fouls. He also scored four points and had four rebounds.
  • As a team the Kings outrebounded the Suns 43-39. They outscored Phoenix in the paint 36-20. Sacramento even scored more fast break points (14-9) than the Suns. The Kings had 23 assists versus 13 turnovers which resulted in 22 Phoenix points.

Suns (16-34)

  • 20-year old guard Devin Booker scored a game-high 33 points for PHX. He scored just seven points in the first half. Booker went 11-for-24 shooting and hit 4-0f-8 from beyond the 3-point line. He also went 7-for-10 from the free throw line.
  • T.J. Warren was the offense for the Suns in the first half. While much of the team seemed less than present, Warren was active and ready for action. He finished with 21 points including going a perfect 6-for-6 from the free throw line.
  • Eric Bledsoe had a 20 point game for the Suns in 33-minutes on the floor. He was just 4-of-12 from the floor but was 3-for-6 from 3-point land.
  • Maybe the disappointment of the night for the crowd was the play of local product Marquese Chriss. Chriss who played his high school basketball in Elk Grove and was drafted by the Kings and then traded to Phoenix played just 15-minutes and scored only two points. Chriss picked up two quick fouls in the first quarter which really limited his playing time. It may well have the combination of playing before a large contingent of family and friends while trying to defend DeMarcus Cousins that keep the young rookie from having a better game.

Joerger’s postgame thoughts

suns-collison
Collison had a big second half for the Kings Photo: NBAE
  • Heck of a basketball game
  • Both teams started kind of slow (it was 49-49 at the half)
  • I’m really proud of out guys. We held a fast break team to nine-points on the fast break and basically won every statistical category there is.
  • I thought Darren (Collison) really stepped up his game in the second half.
  • It was tremendous that we had great point guard play with Ty (Lawson) and Darren at times playing together.
  • It was great to see Ben McLemore get going a little bit and heck of a basketball game.
  • Very proud of out team

Focusing on 8th place in the Western Conference

The battle for the eighth and final playoff slot in the Western Conference continued on Friday night:

  • Denver now has sole possession of 8th place as they beat the Bucks 121-117
  • Portland is in 9th place 1.5 games back after losing to Dallas 108-104
  • Dallas has jumped into 10th place 2.5 games back of Denver with their win over Portland
  • The Kings are now in 11th place 3.5 games behind Denver after Friday’s loss to Phoenix

Up next on the schedule

The Kings have no time sit and ponder their loss to the Suns. The Golden State Warriors make a return visit to the Golden 1 Center on Saturday night. It is never easy to face “the Splash Brothers” but to have to play them on second night of a back-to-back set is really unfair.

Phoenix returns home on Saturday night to host the Milwaukee Bucks who lost in Denver on Friday.