Category: Sacramento Kings

Kings struggle late and Fall to Pelicans.

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By Jeff Hall

SACRAMENTO –

It was the Tale of two halves between the Kings and the New Orleans Pelicans. The Pelicans had the better half defeating the Kings 106-100 in front of 16,526 at Sleep Train Arena.

The Kings got off to another hot start in the first quarter against the Pelicans. And took a 27-20 lead. Jason Thompson scored 10 points to lead all scorers in the first.. DeMarcus Cousins scored 6 points and had 6 rebounds in the opening period.

The Kings play stayed consistent in the second quarter where the Kings out scored the Pelicans 27-25 to take a 54-45 lead at the half. The Kings played solid defensive play in the first half, but the Kings began to break down defensively and get sloppy with ball handling at the end of he first half and in the 3rd quarter allowing the Pelicans to get back into the game.

DeMarcus Cousins Led the Kings with 24 points and 17 rebounds. But again,Cousin’s performance is not enough for the Kings to get a vicotory

After the game DeMarcus said “the team completely broke down on defense. We gave the team life and we let Ryan Anderson get going. We gave them life towards the end of the game and they took advantage of it”

But the second half looked like a familiar Kings game. The Pelicans outscored the Kings 31-17 in the 3rd quarter and 31-30 in the final period.Former Sacramento Basketball stars were strong for the Pelicans.  Former Kings player Tyreke Evans scored 18 points 5 of 11 from the field and Jesuit High Grad and Cal player Ryan Anderson scored 22 points. Anderson was 9 of 17 from the field including 4 3 pointers where the Kings failed to defend  him beyond the arc.

Another strong player Anthony Davis led all scorers  with 28 points for the Pelicans

The Pelicans have won 3 of their last 4 games and improve their record to 6-4, the Kings record is now 6-5.

Game Notes: The Kings announced they have signed Rudy Gay to a contract extension throught the 2017-2018 season.

If you build it they will come.   The 2017 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament – aka March Madness – will be held in Sacramento. The last time the tournament visited Sacramento was in 2007

Kings file game protest over loss in Memphis

Published on by Charlie O. MalloneeLeave a comment

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by Charlie O. Mallonee

The Sacramento Kings have filed an official protest with the NBA over the team’s loss to Memphis last Thursday night. The Kings lost the game 111 – 110 on lay-up made by the Grizzlies’ Courtney Lee with 0.3 seconds left in the game.

The play was reviewed at courtside by the officiating crew because it appeared that Vince Carter’s inbound lob to Lee was tipped by the defender. If the ball was tipped, the clock should have started immediately and time would have expired before the lay-up could have been made by Lee. The referees ruled the ball was not tipped and upheld the Memphis victory.

The Kings are contending the shot was made after time had expired.

Under the protest procedure, both Memphis and Sacramento will have the opportunity to submit evidence to the league in support of their position. The decision on the protest should be rendered by December 2.

Sac Kings commentary: Cousins no doubt the biggest reason for Kings success

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by Jeff Hall

SACRAMENTO–The Kings were coming off two heartbreaking games on the road that they lost. There was the one game in Dallas which they blew a 24 point lead and then the next game against the Grizzlies where they had a 26 point lead and ended up losing that game as well. It was big for the Kings to come home after losing three straight on the road after that four game road trip.

They got back to Sleep Train Arena and responded in a good way and a lot of it has to do with their bench who are playing a lot better. The Kings DeMarcus Cousins got into foul trouble and that’s what the Kings are going to need their going to need a team effort. It can’t just be a one or two guy show.

Its not only been about Cousins and Rudy Gay who are two key players for the organization and that’s where a lot of the high scoring is coming from especially early in the game before Cousins gets into foul trouble. The Kings were able to hang with such teams in their last three losses with the likes of Oklahoma City, Dallas, and Memphis.

As long as the defense plays four quarters of basketball the Kings are confident they can beat any team in the NBA that’s how Mike Malone and the Kings feel right now. The Kings confidence is starting to build, their 6-4 and after ten games nobody would have believed the Kings would be performing this well.

It is a long season and we are talking right now about only ten games in but it’s 82 games for a whole season in the NBA it can really be tough and you have to be careful about being over confident especially early in the season. Despite the three game loses this last road trip the Kings are playing much better on the road in the NBA that’s very tough to do for any team.

The Kings are playing with confidence and a lot of that is coming from Cousins whose showing leadership like he’s never shown before. Malone talked about that Saturday night after the game and said that Cousins is becoming a real leader. He’s grown a lot this season and he’s growing a lot every game. He’s really a leader that the Kings didn’t have before.

The players look up to Cousins and he’s a big part of the Kings success and he’s been helpful with tips for the younger players. A good example of that is when the Kings were in the game to the very end against Memphis and they lost to them by one point. Malone and the players have alluded to Cousins being a big influence for leadership in making these games close.

Jeff Hall covers Sacramento Kings basketball for http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Kings beat the Spurs 94-91

Published on by Charlie O. MalloneeLeave a comment

Spurs 11-15-14

by Charlie O. Mallonee

The Sacramento Kings returned home on Saturday night looking to get back into win column after losing two heartbreakers on the road in Dallas and Memphis. The problem for the Kings was their first opponent on this short three game homestand was the defending NBA Champions – the San Antonio Spurs.

The Kings came out and played 48 minutes of tough defense and played four quarters of consistent offense en route to defeating the Spurs 94-91 before a sellout crowd.

The Kings were led on offense by DeMarcus Cousins with 25 points and 10 rebounds. That is not really a surprise. What was surprising was the fact that Cousins played just nine minutes in the first half. He came out of the game with three minutes to play in the first quarter, and he sat the entire second quarter.

After the game, Kings Head Coach Michael said he did not plan to keep Cousins out for the entire quarter but the unit on the floor was playing well and it gave his center a chance to rest. Cousins would need that energy going down the stretch against the Spurs.

Darren Collison took the lead multiple times in the flow of the game. The point guard scored 19 points, dished out five assists, had two steals and grabbed two rebounds in his 39 minutes of playing time, Colllison consistently pushed the pace of the game to keep the Kings playing at a high tempo.

Rudy Gay had a productive night for Sacramento. Gay scored 18 points, had six assists, pulled down three rebounds and added a steal and a blocked shot to his box score. Gay and Collison combined to lead the Kings when Cousins was on the bench.

Omri Casspi had a very productive night for Sacramento. In his 22 minutes on the floor, Casspi scored nine points, recorded five rebounds, a steal and one blocked shot. Casspi’s rebounds seemed to come at just the right moments for the Kings.

Carl Landry played some key minutes with Cousins on the bench. He finished with eight points, six rebounds, two assists, two blocked shots and one steal. Landry’s solid play off the bench helped the Kings stay in the game.

In his postgame comments, Michael Malone emphasized his teams outstanding defensive effort. The Kings held the Spurs to just 42.5-percent shooting (34 for 80) and just 29.2-percent (7 for 24) from beyond the 3-point line. Sacramento allowed the Spurs to score just 34 points in the paint.

Manu Ginobili led the Spurs in scoring with 21 points but Sacramento held him to just one 3-pointer (1 for 7) in the game. Kawhi Leonard and Danny Green scored 16 points each. Future Hall of Famer Tim Duncan added 15 points. The Kings held Tony Parker to just 11 points.

On holding Parker to just 11 points Coach Michael Malone said, “Darren Collison and Ramon Sessions – all the guys who were out there did a great job. We had discipline.”

The Kings as a team shot 43.0-percent (37 for 86) from the field. Ironically, the Kings went 0 for 12 from 3-point range. They went to the free throw line just 24 times but hit on 20 of those opportunities (83.3-percent).

On offense, the key for the Kings was their play in the paint. Sacramento scored 58 points in the paint. It is safe to say they dominated the paint.

The Kings also took care of the ball against the Spurs. They committed just nine turnovers in the game; well below their goal of 13 turnovers per game.

In summing up the game Michael Malone said,”It feels great anytime that you can beat the defending champions and protect your homecourt. More importantly for me tonight was the defense. We only shot 43-percent from the field, but the key was that we defended at a high level. We held that team to 91 points and 42-percent from the field. We dominated the paint and only had nine turnovers. If we defend like that, like we did earlier in the year, then I really feel we can beat anyone in the NBA.”

The Kings will back in action on Tuesday night versus the New Orleans Pelicans at Sleep Train Arena.

Kings fall short again Despite Having a Big Lead Early Against Grizzlies

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By Jeff Hall

MEMPHIS –

It’s a brand new day with the same old story. The Kings got off to another hot start for the second game in a row. But struggled again in the 2nd half and the 4th quarter allowing the Grizzlies to win the game 111-110 in a game the Grizzlies were completely outplayed for most of the game. But the NBA is a game that to win you must compete for four quarters.

The unbearable trend is mostly due to DeMarcus Cousins getting into early foul trouble again which is what continues to be a negative impact to the Kings both offensively and defensively. The Kings led the game after the 1st by 26 points, but the Grizzlies scored 95 points in the final 3 quarters of the game and came out with the win in the final second on an inbound pass to Mike Conley who was not covered by any Kings player on the floor. Rudy Gay and Cousins both had another great game, but the Kings are a weaker team once Cousins is out of the game because of foul trouble.

The player showing his biggest improvement for the Kings is Ben McLemore who struggled in the team’s first 5 games has been solid with the 3 point shot scoring 10 points in the first half.

Darren Collison had limited playing time. Collison is suffering with left shoulder stiffness that caused him to miss the previous game against the Dallas Mavericks. Collison made a big three point basket with no time left on the clock at end of the 3rd quarter.

A great first half is not enough for the Kings, who continue to struggle in the 4th quarter. The Grizzlies outscored the Kings 35-19 in the 4th allowing the Grizzlies an opportunity to devastate the kings in the final minute of the game.

Up next, the Kings return home to Sleep Train Arena Saturday to take on the defending champion San Antonio Spurs.

Nowitzki’s Historic Night Leads Comeback From Dallas Mavericks.

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By Shawn Whelchel

It was a tale of two halves for the Kings as Sacramento jumped out to a commanding first half lead, but couldn’t keep their foot on the gas as the offense sputtered late, leaving the door open for the Dallas Mavericks to mount an impressive comeback to steal a 106-98 victory at home.

The Kings offense came out firing on all cylinders to start the game, jumping out to a 24-point lead in the second quarter while picking apart the Dallas defense. But half time cooled the hot shooting Kings, as Dallas began finding a rhythm of their own, outscoring Sacramento 58-41 through the final two frames to secure a come-from-behind victory.

Rudy Gay led the charge for Sacramento, scoring 26 points on the night while nearly notching a triple-double with 8 rebounds and 8 assists to boot. Ramon Sessions followed Gay with 18 points and 3 rebounds.

Dirk Nowitzki led all Dallas scorers with 23 points of his own on a historic night where the German born star passed Hakeem Olajuwon for most points by an international player in NBA history while also moving into 9th place on the all-time scoring list.

Nowitzki came into the game needing just 17 points to secure his place in history, but after a scoreless first quarter it looked as if the feat would be questionable. However, Nowitzki would not be denied his claim as the second quarter saw a turnaround from both he and the rest of the team as their 34-point outburst brought them right back into the game.

The Kings competitive first half was nowhere to be found as they came out of the locker room, posting just 15 points on 26 percent shooting to allow Dallas to take their first lead of the game in the third quarter, which Dallas would not relinquish the rest of the game, bumping the Kings to a 5-3 record in the pacific division.

The Kings continue their tough road trip against the Memphis Grizzlies on Thursday where Sacramento will look to snap their two-game skid before returning home to take on the champion San Antonio Spurs.

Game Notes:

PG Darren Collison was absent from Tuesday night’s contest with left shoulder stiffness. It remains to be seen if the guard will play Thursday night against the Grizzlies.

 

Kings lose in OKC 101-93

Published on by Charlie O. MalloneeLeave a comment

Sac logo

by Charlie O. Mallonee

No Westbrook. No Durant. Beating the Oklahoma City Thunder on the road – no problem. Except there was a problem. It is the NBA Western Conference where winning on the road is one of the toughest feats for a team to pull off. The Kings were not able to make it happen on Sunday as they lost to the Thunder 101-93 in OKC.

The Kings came out of the gate slowly. The Thunder packed the paint and used their zone defense to tie up Cousins and Gay down low. They dared the Kings to make it happen with outside shots. The Kings were not able to hit shots from the wings and went into halftime down to the Thunder 52-39.

The Kings played the first half like they had an easy win in hand versus the injury plagued Thunder. OKC came out with determination and made the Kings pay for their lack of intensity.

After the intermission, the Kings continued to fall back. Sacramento was down by 17 points before they began to turn things around.

The Kings starting five stayed on the floor for almost the entire third period and outscored the Thunder 26-15 in the quarter. Down by just two points, Sacramento had put themselves in a position to possibly win the game. The only problem for the Kings was the starting five were gassed and needed rest.

The Kings second unit was not strong on offense in the game, and they were even weaker on defense. Sacramento gave up 34 points to the Thunder in the fourth quarter which made it virtually impossible for them to win the game.

Sacramento shot 45.0-percent (36 for 80) from the field. They shot a very poor 25.0-percent (6 for 24) from beyond the 3-point arc. The Kings also hurt themselves from the free throw line. First, they went to the line just 22 times in the game versus the 30-plus opportunities they had created for themselves in their previous games. Secondly, the Kings shot a terrible 68.2-percent (15 for 22) from the stripe. They had been an 82.0-percent free throw shooting team before the game on Sunday.

The Kings were also out-rebounded by the Thunder 40 to 37. Sacramento had been averaging 49.2 rebounds per game before the OKC game.

The Sacramento bench provided only 24 points in the contest. The Thunder second unit scored 40 points in the game.

The one bright spot for the Kings was the assist to turnover ratio. They recorded 23 assists against just 10 turnovers.

Rudy Gay led the Kings in scoring with 23 points to go with 10 rebounds. DeMarcus Cousins’ streak of double-doubles was broken but he did score 16 points. Ben McLemore was much improved scoring 16 points including four 3-point baskets. Darren Collison added 12 points, five rebounds and seven assists for Sacramento.

After the game, Head Coach Michael Malone said his bench must play stronger in order to win on the road. Malone also noted the Thunder packed the paint and waited for the Kings to respond with outside shots which did not happen. Malone felt the Thunder took advantage of the Kings lack of defense in the fourth quarter.

The Kings are off on Monday and will return to action on Tuesday against the very tough Mavericks in Dallas.

Kings win fifth in a row beating the Suns 114-112 in double overtime

Published on by Charlie O. MalloneeLeave a comment

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by Charlie O. Mallonee

The Sacramento Kings have posted their best start to a season since 1999 by going 5-1 to kick off the 2014-15 NBA campaign. The Kings won their fifth game of the season on Friday night in Phoenix downing the Suns 114-112 in double overtime. The victory was the fifth consecutive win for Sacramento.

The Kings win in double overtime is more amazing when you know that they played both extra periods with DeMarcus Cousins on the bench with six personal fouls. Cousins fouled out of the game with 34 seconds to play in regulation.

Carl Landry, Darren Collison, Ben McLemore and Rudy Gay stepped up in overtime to lead the Kings to the win. A turnaround jump shot by Gay with 1:07 left to play in the second overtime gave the Kings the lead and ultimately the win.

Gay had struggled throughout the contest shooting just five for 22 and scoring only 11 points. After the game, Kings Head Coach Michael Malone revealed that Gay had fought through illness to play 47 minutes and hit that winning basket.

The Kings gave up 36 points to the Suns in the first quarter as Phoenix shot over 60-percent from the field. Down by nine points after one quarter it looked like it would be a long night for Sacramento. The Kings held the Suns to just 22 points in the second quarter, 30 points in the third and just 11 points in the fourth quarter. The game really became about the Kings defense.

Sacramento ultimately held the Suns to just 42.9-percent (42 for 98) shooting from the field. Phoenix shot 32.3-percent (10 for 31) form 3-point land. The Kings outrebounded the Suns 60-42.

The Kings shot 42.9-percent (39 for 91) for field goals. They shot just 18.8-percent (3 for 16) from beyond the 3-point line. Sacramento went to the free throw line 39 times and converted 33 (84.6-percent) of those opportunities.

One stat that will make Michael Malone smile is assists to turnover ratio. The Kings had 16 assists and just 15 turnovers.

Another area that showed marked improvement was the play of the shooting guards. Ben McLemore (15 points) and Nik Stauskas (nine points) gave their team the best production of the season from the two guard position. Malone made note of their play in his post-game remarks.

Cousins recorded another double-double scoring 25 points and grabbing 18 rebounds in 34 minutes on the floor. Cousins did not score his first points until the 7:57 mark in the second quarter.

Darren Collison put up 16 points while Carl Landry added 12 points off the bench.

Eric Bledsoe led the Suns in scoring with 23 points and his backcourt mate Goran Dragic added 22 points.

This game also was the first meeting between Sacramento and former King guard Isaiah Thomas. The meeting turned out to be a non-event as Thomas scored just three points in his 17 minutes of playing time.

The Kings left Phoenix for Oklahoma City where they have a game with the Thunder on Sunday night.

Hot Start Kings Go to 4-1!

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by Tony Renteria

The Sacramento Kings (4-1) hosted the Denver Nuggets (1-3) and complety overwhemled the visiting team by the score of 131-109.
The Kings jumped out to quick 21 point lead in the first quarter and took a 40-19 point lead heading into the second quarter.
DeMarcus Cousins poured in 30 points and added 11 rebounds.  Rudy Gay nearly matched that point total by adding in 29 points on his own. 
The Kings are 4-1 for the first time in over a decade.
While the Kings lead by 21 after the first, at one point they lead by 36 points. 
Ty Lawson lead the Nuggets with 13 points and nine assists. 
This could be the start of a new era here in Sacramento, with New ownership and a new downtown arena on the horizon, are the Kings finally headed back to the glory days of the early 2000’s?
Kings head to Arizona to start a four game road swing, while the Nuggets head to Cleveland to face Lebron and the rest of the Cavaliers on Friday
 

Kings Down The Nuggets, Take Their Third Straight.

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DENVER, CO - NOVEMBER 3: Rudy Gay #8 of the Sacramento Kings drives to the basket against Wilson Chandler #21 of the Denver Nuggets during the game on November 3, 2014 at Pepsi Center in Denver, Colorado. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2014 NBAE (Photo by Garrett Ellwood/NBAE via Getty Images)
DENVER, CO – NOVEMBER 3: Rudy Gay #8 of the Sacramento Kings drives to the basket against Wilson Chandler #21 of the Denver Nuggets during the game on November 3, 2014 at Pepsi Center in Denver, Colorado. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2014 NBAE (Photo by Garrett Ellwood/NBAE via Getty Images)

By Shawn Whelchel

The Sacramento Kings continued their dominant play against Western division opponents as they fought to a 110-105 victory over the Denver Nuggets Monday night.

In a tightly contested and physical matchup, the Kings came up with clutch baskets late in the fourth quarter to sink the Nuggets for their second straight road victory in as many day. Darren Collison led the attack for Sacramento, scoring 21 points while adding four rebounds and six assists to his line. Collison was sent to the line twice in the final minutes of the fourth quarter, sinking three of four to prevent any late comeback by Denver.

Sacramento worked through poor shooting in the first quarter to finish the game shooting a respectable 42-percent from the field on the night. The Kings were also aided by the sloppy play of Denver, who committed 35 fouls while giving up 40-points to Sacramento from the line.

Despite the freebies, the game remained tied with just 3:18 left in regulation. But a driving layup by Ray McCallum gave Sacramento the advantage, and they wouldn’t relinquish their position.  The Nuggets refused to go quietly however, pulling to within just two points of Sacramento with 25-seconds left on the clock, but clutch free throws from Rudy Gay and Collison played spoiler to any comeback plans from Denver.

The win secured the Kings third straight victory over a tough Western division opponent, advancing their record to 3-1 on the year, their best start to a regular season since the 2010-11 season. While their record is impressive, so is the quality of opponent that they have downed over their three-game span, defeating heavyweights such as the Portland Trailblazers and Los Angeles Clippers in the process.

The Nuggets will get a chance to exact their revenge on Wednesday though, as the teams square off for their second straight game in Sacramento, with tip off at 7:00 p.m.