Category: Sacramento Kings

Sacramento Kings Wednesday game wrap up: Turnovers cost Kings in Minnesota

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by Michael Martinez

picture credit: NBAE– Minnesota Timberwolves Karl Anthony Towns (32) goes up on the Sacramento Kings Wednesday night

SACRAMENTO- The Kings had to play without DeMarcus Cousins after he injured his right knee in Monday’s contest in Chicago. As the Kings headed into tonight’s game, the team has struggled all season when he hasn’t suited up. Without the All Star center in the lineup, the Timberwolves looked to capitalize on that with their rookie center Karl Anthony Towns.

Towns had a huge game as DMC watched from the sidelines. The missing presence of Cousins in the middle allowed Minnesota to score a total of 64 points in the paint.

Sacramento was able to stay in the game for most of the game thanks to Rajon Rondo. Rondo totaled 14 points in the first quarter alone for his highest total in a quarter all season. The point guard kept the Kings in a good position all through the first half, as the T-Wolves led 50-48.

Minnesota broke it open in the third quarter as the the T-Wolves shot 70% from the field in the quarter. Sacramento was unable to play tough defense and allowed their opponent to out score them by ten in the quarter. Minnesota would lead 84-72 to end the the third.

The Kings did however try to make a come back to start the fourth. They were able to go on a 15-5 run and get the score to within two points at 89-87. But Minnesota was able to hit  A 6-0 run and open their lead back up. After getting back ahead, the T-Wolves never looked back and won by nine, 113-104.

The Kings turned the ball over 17 times, which led to 22 points for Minnesota. Towns totaled 26 points and 11 rebounds. Andrew Wiggins and Zach Lavine both added 23 more as the T-Wolves shot 56.3%. The Kings turnovers cost them the gave as they did get some good production out of other players. Kosta Koufus scored 15 points and grabbed 15 boards for a double double as he started in place of Cousins . Rondo finished with a team high 25 points and added 8 rebounds and 12 assists.

The three young Minnesota players dominated the Kings offensively and Sacramento missed DMC’s presence. With the season winding down, it could be interesting to see if the Kings can win a couple ball games for pride maybe just want to get a better lottery pick.

The Kings will head back to Sacramento after their 4 game road trip. They’ve struggled at home in the past month, but hopefully the team can pull out a couple more wins as the arena’s days come to an end. The Kings take on the Suns at home on Friday, March 25, at 7 p.m.

Kevin Johnson featured on HBO Real Sports

Published on by Charlie O. MalloneeLeave a comment

MAYOR JOHNSON

by Charlie O. Mallonee

Sexual innuendo, police investigations, hush money, possible cover ups and political intrigue. No that is the latest plot line of the television show, “Scandal”. It is the latest plot line of allegations directed at Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson.

On Sunday evening, the lead story on “Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel” was about Kevin Johnson and the allegations of inappropriate sexual behavior dating back 20 years. Real Sports is an investigative program that looks at various issues related to the sporting world and also profiles sports figures.

The investigative piece featured the stories of three women who have accused Johnson of unwanted sexual advances. One of the women is from the Phoenix area and her accusations date back to the time of Johnson’s playing days in the National Basketball Association.

The woman – who was 16-years old at the time – claims she saw Johnson as mentor before the NBA star changed the nature of the relationship. The woman went to the police who had her call Johnson in order to trap him into a confession. When that did not work, the investigation faded away.

Eventually, the woman and her family accepted a settlement for at least $200,000 in exchange for keeping the matter confidential. She now says accepting the money was a mistake. She also admits that money is now gone but claims she is speaking out because that is what should have happened 20-years ago.

The Real Sports story also features two young women who were students and then interns at the St. Hope Academy. Both claim that Johnson made unwanted sexual advances toward them.

REAL

Real Sports also focused on the stories of a former teacher and foundation employee at the St. Hope Academy and Foundation. They also claim to have knowledge of inappropriate sexual behavior by Johnson. Both individuals have resigned from their positions because of what they perceive as Johnson’s inappropriate actions.

The program also references a more recent incident where an employee in the Sacramento City Manger’s office claims Johnson made unwanted sexual advances  toward her. That employee put in a claim to receive $200,000 from the City of Sacramento because of Johnson’s actions. The city council voted to deny that claim.

Real Sports implied that the city employee may have received payment from Johnson.

Johnson recently announced that he would not seek a third term as Mayor of Sacramento. There is nothing specific to connect the accusations and the decision not to run but the timing of the events is interesting.

The man who kept the Kings in Sacramento, spearheaded the building of an new arena, has been a champion of innovative education, was an up and coming political figure and will soon be a NBA Hall of Famer is now the subject of some very negative news reporting that cannot be helpful to his future and legacy.

Because Real Sports is an HBO program, it will be repeated by the network multiple times giving readers a chance to watch the reports and draw their own conclusions.

Sacramento Kings podcast with Charlie O: Kings hoping to even up road trip with win in Minnesota

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photo credit: usatoday.com– Sacramento Kings Rajon Rondo had 13 assists  against the Detroit Pistons last Friday

On the Sacramento Kings podcast with Charlie O the Kings were road tested in four games in Detroit, New York, Chicago, and at Minnesota. The Kings narrowly lost a seven point game to the Chicago Bulls on Monday night 109-107. They lost the game to Detroit 115-108 last Friday although they were in the game very late into the game it wasn’t like it was a runaway, they played pretty good basketball.

The Kings DeMarcus Cousins had 31 points in that game and ten rebounds with Rajon Rondo with his typical 13 assist game they played well but they just didn’t play well enough to win. The Kings know that on the road in the NBA your chances of winning are greatly diminished. The Kings play in Minnesota on Wednesday night for a chance to even up the road trip at 2-2.

Charlie O give you the very latest on the Kings listen below and always right here at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Sacramento Kings Monday game wrap up: Kings Fall Again, Bulls 109-102

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By Tony Renteria

AP photo: The Chicago Bulls Derek Rose (1) goes up against the Sacramento Kings Rudy Gay (8) at the United Center Monday night

The Sacramento Kings headed into the Windy City on Tuesday evening and left the with another loss, 109-102 as they fell to the Chicago Bulls.

The Kings continue to add losses in this season that started with so much hope but has failed to live up to that hope the Kings fan for a full season under the leadership of Head Coach George Karl.

The Kings seem to be all stat line and no real staying power in the win loss column as tonight’s box score seemed to show, another double double for DeMarcus Cousins as he scored 19 points and added in 18 rebounds.

Rudy Gay added in 18 points of his own and Rajon Rondo put in 14 points with five rebounds while all three played over 30 minutes each.  But that is the Kings season, great offensive stats and another loss.

The hometown Bulls lead by Derrick Rose and and Forward Taj Gibson who both scored a team high 18 points to pace the winning Bulls.

The Bulls host the New York Knicks while the Kings continue their road trip as they head north to Minnesota to face the Timberwolves tomorrow night

Kings play “D” in NYC; beat Knicks 88-80

Published on by Charlie O. MalloneeLeave a comment

knicks 3-20=16NBA – Getty Images

by Charlie O. Mallonee

“It (the game) had a lot of ugly to it, but it’s a win,” said Kings head coach George Karl after his team beat the New York Knicks 88-80 in Madison Square Garden on Sunday night.

In full disclosure, the Knicks played without Carmelo Anthony who was sidelined with a migraine that he experienced during the game in Washington on Saturday. The Knicks are 0-8 this season when “Melo” is not in the line up. Much like the Kings without Cousins, NYK is not the same team when their All-Star player is not on the floor.

The Kings used defense to win this game. This may have the best defensive effort by Sacramento all season. The Kings held the Knicks under 20 points in first, third and fourth quarters. Sacramento did have a major defensive lapse in the second quarter when New York scored 35 points, but unlike other games this season, the Kings were able to regain their defensive footing.

The 88 point effort was the Kings lowest scoring total of the season.

Sacramento did an excellent job defending the 3-point arc allowing NYK to hit on just 4-of-19 3-point attempts. The Kings also limited their own turnovers to just 12 that resulted in just nine points for the Knicks.

The stars on offense were the two starting centers. DeMarcus Cousins and Robin Lopez had 20/20, double-double games. Cousins scored 24 points and grabbed 20 rebounds to go with four assists and two blocked shots. Robin Lopez put up 23 points and hauled in 20 rebounds for New York.

For Cousins, this was his 10th 20/20 game of his career.

The Kings are now 27-42 on the season. The loss drops the Knicks record to 28-43.

Kings

Rudy Gay turned in a 17-point performance versus the Knicks. Gay did not have a spectacular night shooting going 8-for-21 from the floor and just 1-for-6 from 3-point land.

Darren Collison had an interesting game. Collison scored 13 points. All of those points came in the first half. He played a game-high 40 minutes and dished out six assists.

Rajon Rondo had a very quiet game scoring just two points and distributing six assists. Rondo did not play with his signature headband on in this game.

Omri Casspi led the scoring off the bench for Sacramento. Casspi scored 15 points hitting on 5-of-9 shots from the field.

As a team, the Kings shot just 39.8-percent (35-for-88) for the game. They converted 7-of-25 3-point attempts. Sacramento was out-rebounded 55-49. The Kings allowed New York to grab 19 offensive rebounds.

Knicks

Kristaps Porzingis – the Knicks rookie sensation – scored 13 points but struggled shooting from the floor. Porzingis hit on just 6-of-17 shooting and was 0-for-4 from beyond the 3-point arc.

The Knicks had two strong performances off their bench as Jerian Grant scored 14 points and former King Derrick Williams added 11 points. The New York bench outscored the Kings second unit 35-29.

NYK shot just 35.2-percent (32-for-91) from the field. The Knicks turned the ball over 15 times resulting in 22 points for the Kings.

Up next

The Chicago Bulls will play a major role for both teams this week.

The Kings traveled to Chicago after the game and will play the Bulls on Monday night.

The Knicks are off until Wednesday when they will play the Bulls in the Windy City.

 

Sacramento Kings Friday game wrap up: Pistons Caldwell-Pope’s three pointers sink Kings 115-108

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by Charlie O Mallonee

photo credit: sportal.co.nz–Detroit Pistons Kentavious Caldwell-Pope’s two three pointers in the fourth quarter put the Pistons ahead of the Sacramento Kings on Friday night

The Sacramento Kings held the lead in much of the game in Auburn Hills Michigan on Friday night but when the ball got into the hands of the Detroit Pistons Kentavious Caldwell-Pope it was curtains for the visiting Kings as Caldwell-Pope hit two big three pointers in the fourth quarter to make hay on the Kings to get the Pistons ahead and the win 115-108.

Caldwell-Pope had extra help with Marcus Morris scoring 20-24 in the first half for Detroit. The Pistons had an 18 point lead fade away and the Pistons had to get to work and ended up tying up the ball game in the fourth quarter to the relief of Pistons head coach Stan Van Gundy, “It was a good win it doesn’t matter how the game goes. In this league a lot of times the team who loses and comes back from like 21 gets praised more than the team who wins. I’ll keep taking 21 point leads. That would be good.” said Van Gundy.

The win breaths some life back into the Pistons post season hopes as the Pistons (35-34) are knotted up with the Chicago Bulls (34-33) for the last playoff spot in the Eastern Conference The Kings leading scorer on Friday night DeMarcus Cousins had 31 points and 10 rebounds the Kings have now lost 11 of their last 13 games. “Slow start, slow end, we’ve got to put together a whole game of good basketball.” said the Kings Rudy Gay.

The Kings are back in action against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden a 4:30 tip PDT on Sunday night

Charlie O is a Sacramento Kings beat writer each weekend at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Pelicans sweep season series vs Kings

Published on by Michael MartinezLeave a comment

by Michael Martinez

picture credit Jacob Gonzalez

SACRAMENTO- The Kings had a great win last night in Los Angeles and things were looking up, but then the team came home. Recently, the Kings have struggled mightily at home and tonight was no different. The defense was flat out bad tonight especially in the first half.

The difference tonight was El Dorado Hills native, Ryan Anderson. Anderson’s huge second quarter change the game completely and the Kings really never had a chance thereafter.

The Oak Ridge high grad put up 21 points in the second quarter on 8-11 shooting, 3-4 from the field. The forward’s huge second quarter put the Kings down 74-53 as he made the defense look silly.  Some of his shots were incredible, but nonetheless giving up 74 points was inexcusable. As a team, the Pelicans shot 83.3% in the quarter.  The Kings offense slowed down in the second quarter, scoring 22 points to New Orleans’ 41. The Pelicans’ had their largest lead of the half in the second when they were up by 24 points.

Fans booed the Kings towards the end of the quarter as the Kings gave up the most points in a half all season. Maybe that sparked some fire under Sacramento’s belt out of the locker room.

Out of the break, the Kings scored 10 straight points and cut the deficit down to 11, looking for some hope. But New Orleans never let the Kings get any closer, going up by 21 points at one point in the third quarter.

The Kings continued to struggle while New Orleans kept pouring it on. The Pelicans’ largest lead of the game came in the fourth as they went up by 27 points at one point. New Orleans absolutely dominated the Kings tonight and there was really no question about if they would get the win. Although the Kings only lost the game by 15, 123-108, the Pelicans out played the Kings in every aspect.

The loss is not all that surprising with the Kings recent struggles, plus they have not been able to defeat New Orleans. This is their sixth straight loss to the Pelicans who won all four games this season. And as the Sleep Train Arena starts to see its last games, the Kings have dropped seven consecutive games on their home floor and the games really haven’t been all that close.

The Pelicans shot 54.4% from the field and an astounding 57.1% from behind the arc, knocking down 12 three-pointers.

Anthony Davis finished with 27 points and 14 rebounds, while Anderson totaled 29 points. New comer Tim Frazier scored 14 points for New Orleans and added nine assists.

Darren Collison was the Kings’ leading scorer with 23 points. DeMarcus Cousins finished with 20 points, 12 rebounds and five assists for another double double. Cousins now has 26 double doubles in his last 32 games he’s played in.

The Kings once again showed struggles in playing back to back games. Heading into the contest, the team was 3-12 when playing consecutive games and now that makes it 3-13. It is difficult to play without three of the team’s guards, including Rajon Rondo, but there’s no excuse for the team’s poor effort tonight.

Sacramento is now 26-41 and will head to Detroit to take on the Pistons on Friday. With the season coming to an end, maybe it’s best for the Kings to hope for the best possible draft pick and regroup next season.

 

Sacramento Kings Tuesday post game wrap: Kings force turnovers 17 times by stealing the ball to beat Lakers 106-98

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by Jessica Kwong

Photo credit: thefakebasketball.com– Sacramento Kings Darren Collison

LOS ANGELES–The Sacramento Kings snapped their five-game losing streak on Tuesday night with a 106-98 victory over the struggling, but improving Los Angeles Lakers at Staples Center.

 Sacramento took command of the game early and maintained the lead, and fended off a late effort by Los Angeles in the fourth quarter. When the Lakers got within 6 points of the Kings twice, forward Rudy Gay hit jump shots, putting a stop to their momentum.

 “The Lakers have been playing at a good level. It is good to get our funk out after a losing streak and get some joy back into the locker room and go home tomorrow,” Kings head coach George Karl said. “And hopefully make another step in a good direction.”

 The Kings scored the win mostly because of steals – 17 – and creating a lot of deflections and easy fast break points off of the Lakers’ 22 turnovers.

 It seemed the Kings played with the most energy since before the All-Star break. Karl said it might have been a result of playing forward Willie Cauley-Stein, who scored 8 points.

 “You establish the run, then you open up a lot more, because now they’re trying to run with me, and then it opens up for the shot because I’m cutting through the lane. I’m running, I’m the first one down there,” Cauley-Stein said.

 Controlling the game early was a big difference from Sunday, when the Kings got off to a bad start against the Utah Jazz and lost 108-99.

 Kings guard Darren Collison said it’s a “make or miss league,” and the shots just fell on Tuesday.

 “You can’t have a great stretch throughout the whole 82-game season. I wish I can, but it’s not going to be like that,” Collison said. “You’re going to have your moments, but the biggest thing that you have to take away from it is that you still have to stay aggressive. I thought I did that tonight.”

 Collison and DeMarcus Cousins finished with 22 points a piece, and Gay contributed 20 points.

 The Lakers’ retiring star Kobe Bryant did not play. Karl said he remembered Bryant played one game against Sacramento this season, and that the past few weeks have been his best.

 “It might have been nice to give him a hug at the end of the game … There is a little disappointment,” Karl said.

 Tuesday’s win brings Sacramento’s record to 26-40. The results of the season have been “frustrating,” Cousins said.

 “We’re trying to figure it out, still trying to figure it out,” he said. “One thing that is good is the locker room is still good. We believe in one another and keep that support, try to finish the season out strong and keep that support.”

 The Kings return to Sleep Train Arena on Wednesday to face the New Orleans Pelicans. Tip-off is at 7 p.m.

     
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Sacramento Kings podcast and commentary with Charlie O: Kings are counting the days

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by Charlie O Mallanee

photo by: bigstory.ap.org–Sacramento Kings DeMarcus Cousins the expression says it all

SACRAMENTO–The players had emptied out of the dressing room at a recent home game at Sleep Train Arena and sitting alone in the Sacramento Kings locker room was their star player DeMarcus Cousins. This was not normal usually you would see three or four players in the dressing room after the game but when the media arrived everyone made a B-line for the team bus waiting outside of the arena.

Cousins was hospitable and answered reporters questions in a cordial fashion. The Kings who are snake bit and Cousins who came off a one game suspension for cussing out his head coach George Karl on the team bench which took a coach and a player to step in Cousin’s view of Karl. Karl ceremoniously suspended Cousins after the game for behavior unbecoming. The idea that Cousins was left by himself at that recent game is symbolic and that the team is in dysfunction and have lost respect for Cousins after his mid game rift with Karl.

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

 

Kings lose strange game to Jazz 108-99

Published on by Charlie O. MalloneeLeave a comment
NBA: Utah Jazz at Sacramento Kings
Photo Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

By Charlie O. Mallonee

Sacramento – The Sacramento Kings fell into one of the dreaded “black holes” that George Karl has talked about all season on Sunday. The problem for the Kings was the “black hole” did not last for five to eight possessions as usual. This “black hole” lasted for 24 minutes or the entire first half of the game.

The Kings – who never had a lead in the game – fell behind by 23 points in the opening half. Sacramento lacked energy and defensive effort and Utah took advantage of the situation. The Jazz shot 59.0-percent from the floor in the first half and went 8-for-14 (57.1-percent) from beyond the 3-point line. Sacramento appeared to be victims of the change to Daylight Savings Time, but the situation was not that simplistic.

Karl even went to a different rotation of Gay, Cauley-Stein, Cousins, Curry and Rondo in order find some defense to start the third quarter, and it worked. In fact, Karl stated it may have been the best second half defensive performance of the season from his team.

The Kings held the Jazz to 47 points in the second half. Sacramento outscored Utah 54-47 for the half, but Kings had dug a hole for themselves in the first half that was ultimately too deep to climb out of in the final 24.

Sacramento cut the Utah lead to just five points with 23.1 seconds left in the game. They just ran out of time to get enough possessions to overcome the Utah lead and the Kings lost the game 108-99.

It was the second consecutive win for the Jazz (31-35) who beat Washington at home on Friday night. Utah came into the game in ninth place in the Western Conference two games behind Houston and Dallas for the eighth and final playoff slot. The victory on Sunday really helped the Jazz to keep their playoff dreams alive.

The Kings (25-40) have lost five games in a row and have lost six straight at home. Mathematically, the Kings still have a chance at the playoffs. Realistically, the Kings have no shot at the playoffs.

Kings

The Kings were led by DeMarcus Cousins who scored a game-high 31 points in return from his one-game suspension. It was a double-double game for Cousins who recorded 10 rebounds and five assists. He converted 8-of-11 free throw opportunities.

Omri Casspi provided some real punch off the bench scoring 20 points in just 26 minutes of playing time. Casspi shot 8-for-12 from the floor and went 4-for-4 from beyond the 3-point line.

Darren Collison scored 14 points in a starting role while Cauley-Stein scored 10, Rondo 7, Gay 6, Curry 5, Koufos 4 and Acy 2. Marco Belinelli had a five-game streak of scoring in double figures broken as he scored no points in 11 minutes on floor.

As a team, the Kings shot 46.9-percent from the floor and were a respectable 9-for-21 (42.9-percent) from 3-point land. The team struggled at the free throw line hitting on just 14-of-21 attempts (66.7-percent). Sacramento turned the ball over 12 times giving up 22 points on those miscues.

The Kings were outrebounded 47-36.

Jazz

Derrick Favors (28) and Gordon Hayward (27) led the Jazz scoring effort. Favors shot 10-for-16 from the floor to go with 14 rebounds. Hayward shot 9-for-19 from the field including four 3-point baskets.

Shelvin Mack had a strong game at point guard scoring 14 points and dishing out eight assists. Mack shot 5-for-11 overall and 4-for-6 from 3-point range.

The Jazz shot 47.6-percent from the floor and hit on 12-of-28 3-point opportunities. Utah really helped themselves at the free throw line going 18-for-22 (81.8-percent). The Jazz turned the ball over 16 times giving up a total of 16 points due to those mistakes.

What they said after the game

DeMarcus Cousins spoke the press after the game and allowed his teammates the opportunity to quietly slip out of the locker room. It was also the first time Cousins faced the press since serving his one-game suspension.

When asked to describe the game, Cousins replied, “Terrible first half and better second half.”

Cousins was asked where he is mentally after the suspension and he said, “I’m here.”

The Kings center responded to being asked to evaluate the last seven weeks for the team by saying, “It is the level of fight. There’s a lot of frustration in this locker room. I believe everyone believes that we should be a lot better than we are. We’re just frustrated that we’re not. We haven’t performed to the level of expectations so it’s a lot of frustration with that.”

Cousins also talked about his suspension. He feels that it was a coach’s suspension not a suspension generated by the organization. Cousins feels there is a big difference between the two.

Up next

The Kings will travel to Los Angeles to face the Lakers on Tuesday night. It will be the last time they face Kobe Bryant as an active player. The Lakers game is the front end of a back-to-back that will be completed on Wednesday night in Sacramento when the New Orleans Pelicans visit Sleep Train Arena.

Utah returned home after the game and will host King James and the Cavaliers on Monday night in Salt Lake City.