Category: Sacramento Kings

Sacramento Kings podcast with Barbara Mason: NBA coaches reactions and comments of the Mike Brown firing

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Sacramento Kings center Isaac Jones (left) talks things over with former Kings head coach Mike Brown (right) against the Denver Nuggets Mon Dec 16, 2024 at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento (AP News photo)

On the Sacramento Kings podcast with Barbara Mason:

#1 The Sacramento Kings firing former coach Mike Brown got a huge reaction for NBA coaches we haven’t had a chance to speak with you since the firing last week and wanted to go over those coaches reactions but also your reaction as well.

#2 Coach Brown was notified by the Kings that he had been fired while he was driving to the airport trying to get a flight last Friday after he had coached the team in a morning practice. Some NBA coaches commented that move was classless.

#3 Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr said that the firing of Brown was shocking especially if you consider the job that he had done winning coach of the year in 2023. Your thought on coach Kerr’s comments.

#4 Denver Nuggets coach Mike Malone said that he’s not surprised by the firing of coach Brown saying that he was fired by the same person at the Kings. Brown had just coached the Friday practice and called him on the phone on the way to the airport and fired Brown. Malone said that was classless, no balls.

#5 The Kings host the Dallas Mavericks tonight 7:00pm PST. The Mavs are fourth in the Western Conference and have won six of their last ten games. Meanwhile the Kings have lost six in row and are 12th in the Western Conference.

Join Barbara Mason for the Kings podcasts each Monday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

G League action: Kings take home at home series against Spurs 128-118 at Adventist Health

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Stockton Kings guard Jon Elmore (33) is seated with crown on head after the Kings defeated the Austin Spurs at AdventistHealth Arena in Stockton Sun Dec 29, 2024 (Stockton Kings X photo)

By William Espy

STOCKTON–The Stockton Kings were back in their normal home stadium AdventistHealth Arena on Sunday afternoon as they hosted the Austin Spurs in the second half of a back-to-back between the two teams. After a strong performance on Saturday, Devin Carter was recalled by Sacramento on Sunday morning.

Orlando Robinson and Colby Jones were assigned to Stockton though, and as a result, they were in the lineup on Sunday. Even without Carter the Kings were able to have another commanding win 128-118 on Sunday.

The Kings quickly got out to an early double-digit lead, making it 28-17 by the end of the first quarter. The Spurs were struggling to hit their shots, as they went 8-27 from the field in the first frame. Guard Quinton Rose was the only one hitting his shots regularly for Austin, as he was 3-4 for six points at that point.

To start the second quarter, the Kings went on a 12-3 run which extended their lead to 20 points just 15 minutes into the game. Sidy Cissoko started to make his presence felt in the second quarter, putting up 13 points in the first six minutes after going scoreless in the opening quarter.

By half-time, the Spurs had clawed their way back into the game. The Kings went into the break with only a five-point lead, with the score at 63-58. The Spurs were much more efficient in the second, as Rose continued hitting his shots on top of Cissoko’s starting to fall.

Both teams also had some players in foul trouble, Dexter Dennis had four personal fouls after 24 minutes, while Isaiah Crawford had three. Spurs center Osayi Osifo had three as well.

Both teams struggled to score in the opening minutes of the third quarter. The Kings were slowly extending their lead, but their offense started to pick up halfway through the quarter. Similar to their start in the second, they went on a 12-2 run to extend their lead, but this time it took about twice as long to do.

Jameer Nelson Jr was having a difficult night for Austin, going 0-6 to start the night. Stockton would finish the third quarter with a 90-74 lead, however as had been shown earlier in the night, they were far from guaranteed a victory.

The Kings kept up the pressure in the fourth quarter though, and continued to grow their lead. As it reached five minutes remaining in the game, it seemed that the Kings had put it out of reach, as they led by 24. When all was said and done, they had.

The Kings walked away with a 126-118 victory, sweeping the back-to-back against the Spurs. They were led in scoring by Mason Jones who finished with 22, while Colby Jones was a close second with 18 of his own.

Stockton’s next game will be on Thursday, as they host the Memphis Hustle.

Kings Drop Sixth Game In a Row Losing to Lakers 132-122

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Los Angeles Lakers forward Anthony Davis (3) takes a jump shot above Sacramento Kings Domantas Sabonis (left), De’Aaron Fox (5) and Malik Monk (0) in first half action at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento on Sat Dec 28, 2024 (AP News photo)

By Barbara Mason

Doug Christie’s first game as Head Coach for the Sacramento (13-19) did not go well as the Kings dropped their sixth game in a row losing by the score of 132-122 continuing their free fall. The bench did not make much of an impact with 29 points.

The high for the Kings was DeAaron Fox with 29 points and DeMar DeRozan with 25. Domantas Sabonis fouled out of the game with 4:34 left in the fourth quarter. He had a double double with 14 points and 12 rebounds. Keegan Murray finished the game with only five points

Game recap: The Los Angeles Lakers (18-13) got this party started in the opening 12 minutes dominating and leading 40-31 going into the second quarter. Sacramento came roaring back in the second quarter dictating the pace outscoring the Lakers 35-25.

At the half the Kings had a 66-65 lead in this hotly contested first half. Four of the Kings starters had shot double figures after two quarters and Sacramento was dominating in the paint. The Kings bench production however was disappointing and has been poor all season.

Going into the third quarter, the Lakers took back the lead and at 7:21 had taken a 86-78 advantage. The Kings were in foul trouble with Sabonis committing four, Kyler Murray and Trey Lyles with three apiece.

Through 3 1/2 quarters Sacramento was protecting the ball well with only four turnovers. The Kings were flat from beyond the arc shooting 26% to the Lakers almost 58%. Los Angeles continued to extend their lead to 96-85 with 2:57 left in the quarter.

The King’s Sabonis clocked another double double in the third quarter but the offensive production from Sabonis, Fox and Murray was quiet as the quarter wound down with the Lakers leading by 17 points 107-90 their largest lead of the game . Los Angeles had dominated the third quarter as the Kings began to take wild shots that were missing badly.

The fourth quarter continued to go poorly for the Kings. They continued to fall further behind with the Lakers taking a 20 point lead 113-93 with 9:20 left in the game. The Kings began to make up some ground cutting the Lakers 20 point lead to 13 with 8:16 left on the clock.

The Lakers held on for the remainder of the game. Sabonis fouled out of the game with 5:20 left with his team trailing 110-119. The final was 132-122 and the Kings had lost their sixth game in a row.

The Lakers dominated for the majority of this game. Anthony Davis finished with 36 points and 15 rebounds. Austin Reeves had 26 and Rui Hachimura finished with 21.

It was a tough night for the Kings considering what had transpired Friday. They protected the ball well in this game with only ten turnovers but offensive production was down. Fox finished the game with 29 points followed by DeRozan with 25. Murray only had five points in 29 minutes of play. Sabonis fouled out in the fourth quarter with 14 points and 12 rebounds.

Game notes: Saturday night the Kings traveled down to Los Angeles to take on the Lakers. After the initial shock of the firing of Head Coach Mike Brown, the Kings took the court with interim head coach Doug Christie at the helm.

Christie is expected to remain in this role for the remainder of the season. The firing of Brown sent shock waves across the NBA with numerous coaches not only surprised but also vocal and one of the most outspoken was ex Kings coach and current Denver Nuggets head coach Michael Malone.

This scenario had played out in 2013-14 with Malone being the guy who was given his walking papers in Sacramento. While the firing was shocking, the manner in which it all came down was even more disturbing. It had been a normal morning practice prior to their game with the Lakers Saturday night.

Brown did his post media meeting and then headed to the airport for the short flight to Los Angeles. He gets a call in his car from the Kings owner Vivek Ranadive and was fired. Malone had some rather colorful language regarding the firing having gone through this himself.

Steve Kerr was also vocal in his remarks regarding the firing as were other coaches in the league. The Kings took the court without Brown and it is business as usual. Some of the King’s players have gone through this changing of the guard, Fox one of them, while others have not.

This was a wild move that could go in one of two directions. It could get the Kings back on track or it could backfire and only time will tell. Saturday night the Kings had all five starters on the floor as they struggle to fight their way back to .500 and beyond.

Next up: Monday night the Kings will be back in Sacramento, where they have really struggled, to take on Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks. Tipoff for that game is scheduled for 7:00 PM. The Kings will be looking for their first win under interim head coach Christie at Golden 1 Arena.

Kings fire coach Mike Brown after going 13-18; Doug Christie named interim coach

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Former Sacramento Kings head coach Mike Brown shouts instructions to his players against the Denver Nuggets at Golden 1 Center on Mon Dec 16, 2024. Brown was fired by the Kings on Fri Dec 27, 2024 (AP News photo)

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Sacramento Kings on Friday afternoon announced that they have fired head coach Mike Brown. Brown had signed a three contract extension back in June worth $8.5 million per year. Brown was 13-18 when he was fired and the Kings were on a five game losing streak after losing to the Detroit Pistons on Thursday night 114-113 at Golden 1 Center.

The Kings at the time of Brown’s firing are in dead last in the NBA Pacific and are 12th in the Western Conference. Brown had coached a team practice Friday morning and had met with the media after practice and was notified by the team that he had been fired. The Kings were prepared to board a flight to Los Angeles after practice as the Kings face the Los Angeles Lakers Saturday night at Crypto.com Arena.

Brown is a two time NBA Coach of the Year Award winner and had won the award in 2023 after turning the Kings around who had won 30 games in 2022 to a 48-34 record and got the Kings into the post season. Last season’s winning record got Brown the three year contract extension and put Brown amongst the top eight highest paid coaches in the NBA.

Brown finishes his tenure with the Kings with a winning record at 107-88. Under Brown in the playoffs the Kings lost to the Golden State Warriors in a six game first round. Brown has been an assistant coach at the Washington Wizards, San Antonio Spurs, Indiana Pacers, and Warriors. He had been on NBA teams that won the Championships one with the Spurs and three with the Warriors.

No class no balls says Mike Malone: Former Kings and current Denver Nuggets head coach Mike Malone said that the way the Kings fired Brown was “no class no balls” as Malone described it on social media Brown had coached Friday’s practice and Brown met with the media and Brown was driving to the airport to fly with the team to Los Angeles when he got the call on the way to the airport that he had been fired. Malone said he got fired by the same person and what really angered Malone was the Kings who lost their fifth in a row lost on fouling Detroit Piston’s jump shooter Jaden Ivey in a narrow 114-113 decision on Thursday.

Poison Ivey: Pistons Jayden Ivey scores winning shot to beat Kings 114-113; Sac coughs up 19 point lead for 5th straight loss

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Detroit Pistons Malik Beasly guard (5) congratulates guard Jayden Ivey (right) after Ivey’s game winning basket in the fourth quarter at the Golden 1 Center in Sacramento on Thu Dec 26, 2024 (AP News photo)

By Jeremiah Salmonson

SACRAMENTO–The Sacramento Kings were in free fall and back in action on Thursday night. After having two days off for Christmas, the Kings welcomed the Detroit Pistons to town. Previously, the Kings had lost their last four games and were reeling. On Thursday, they looked to get back on track against a Detroit team that had been performing well on their road trip. The Kings were without Domantas Sabonis, who was sidelined due to illness, and Alex Len stepped into the starting lineup in his place. The Kings continued to falter as they lost to the Pistons 114-113.

In the first quarter, it took the Kings a few minutes to adjust to life without Sabonis on the court. They started slowly, falling behind 7-2 early, but eventually found their rhythm. By the end of the quarter, the Kings had outscored the Pistons 37-34 to take an early lead. Keegan Murray led the way for Sacramento with nine points in the opening quarter, while Cade Cunningham paced Detroit with 12 points.

In the second quarter, the Kings extended their lead. A strong defensive effort held the Pistons to just 19 points in the period. On offense, Sacramento scored 31 points, fueled by a breakout 15-point quarter from Trey Lyles. This was a welcome sight for Kings fans, as Lyles had struggled in recent games. Meanwhile, Cunningham continued his strong performance, finishing the first half with 21 points. The Kings entered halftime with a commanding 68-53 lead.

The third quarter saw the Kings ease up slightly. Their shooting cooled off, and the Pistons outscored them 24-23 in the period. However, De’Aaron Fox came alive, scoring 14 points in the quarter to keep the Kings in control. Malik Beasley led the Pistons’ offense with eight points in the quarter. Heading into the final quarter, Sacramento held a 91-77 lead and appeared poised to secure a decisive home victory.

The final quarter proved to be a battle, as a determined Detroit team refused to back down. The Kings’ 14-point lead steadily evaporated, dwindling to just two points with 1:20 remaining in the game. It became a nail-biter. With 18.7 seconds left, De’Aaron Fox hit a clutch pull-up jumper to put Sacramento ahead 111-108. But Detroit wasn’t finished.

With 3.1 seconds left, Jaden Ivey sank a contested, and-one three-pointer over Fox and converted the free throw, giving the Pistons a 114-113 lead. The Kings were unable to respond, and the game ended in heartbreak.

Fox led Sacramento in scoring with 26 points, but it wasn’t enough to secure the win. Cade Cunningham starred for Detroit, finishing with 33 points as the Pistons improved to 14-17 on the season. With the loss, the Kings dropped to 13-18.

After the game, head coach Mike Brown was visibly frustrated by his team’s lack of focus in the closing moments. Brown lamented the failure to properly defend Ivey’s decisive three-pointer, stating, “The only thing that hurts us is a three.”

When asked postgame about where the Kings go from here and how they’ll prepare for their next game in Los Angeles, Fox offered a terse response: “Just get ready to play.” It was not an encouraging sign from the team’s star player after five consecutive loses.

Up Next: The Kings will travel to Los Angeles to face the Lakers on Saturday at 7:30 PM PST inside the Crypto.com Arena.

Sacramento Kings podcast with Jeremiah Salmonson: Kings drop fifth straight game in loss to Pistons 114-113

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The Detroit Piston’s Tobias Harris (12) takes a jump shot while the Sacramento Kings DeMar DeRozan (10) and Keegan Murray (13) can only hope it’s a brick at the Golden 1 Center in Sacramento on Thu Dec 26, 2024 (AP News photo)

On the Sacramento Kings podcast with Jeremiah Salmonson:

#1 Jeremiah, two teams both with identical records at 13-17 the Detroit Pistons and the Sacramento Kings going into Thursday’s game and it went right down to the wire with the Pistons coming back down 19 points to edge the Kings at Golden 1 in Sacramento 114-113. The Pistons now 14-17 and the Kings 13-18.

#2 The Kings had been a struggling bunch occupying 12th in the Western Conference and dropped their fifth straight loss and are now 6-12 at home.

#3 The Kings previous game last Sunday a tough embarrassing loss at home 122-95 against the Indiana Pacers was a game that the Kings would hope to give them incentive and fire them up a bit for the Pistons game. The Kings couldn’t break out of it Thursday night as their defense collapsed allowing the Pistons to get back in.

#4 Jeremiah, the Pistons towards to the end of Thursday’s game made a go of it trying to close the gap at one time down by 19 points but made a fourth quarter came back. The Pistons top scorer Cad Cunningham was a big difference maker leading with 33 points.

#5 It doesn’t get any easier for the Kings they now head to the Southland and face the Los Angeles Lakers who took two games from them in Sacramento. The Lakers are sixth in the Western Conference have won five of their last ten and are 9-4 at home. The Kings road record are 7-6. Tip off at Crypto.com Arena at 7:30pm PST in downtown Los Angeles on Saturday night.

Join Jeremiah for the Kings podcasts Fridays at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Sacramento Kings podcast with Barbara Mason: Kings will press to end 4 game losing streak tonight at Golden State

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December 22, 2024; Sacramento, California, USA; Sacramento Kings guard Malik Monk (0) shoots the basketball against Indiana Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton (0) during the second quarter at Golden 1 Center. (Photo: Kyle Terada-Imagn Images/REUTERS)

On the Sacramento Kings podcast with Barbara Mason:

#1 Kings lost their fourth in a row going into another slump.

#2 This game remained close in the first half but fell apart in the second half.

#3 There are some critical problems in the defense right now that have to be corrected.

#4 With what is going on in Sacramento right now there are bound to be some major changes in February. Especially if this continues going forward.

#5 The Kings are off until next Thursday night when they take on the the Detroit Pistons. How do you see this game and will they rebound?

Join Barbara for the Kings podcasts each Monday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Trouble in Sacramento Kings fall to Pacers 122-95

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Sacramento Kings guard De’Aaron Fox led with 23 points but the Kings would fall 27 points short of the Indiana Pacers at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento on Sun Dec 22, 2024 (Sacramento Kings X photo)

By Jeremiah Salmonson

SACRAMENTO–This isn’t going to be like my usual recaps. Normally, I would go through the game quarter by quarter and evaluate its progression. However, I can’t bring myself to write that kind of analysis Sunday night. The Sacramento Kings are broken, and I’m tired of repeating the same narrative every night. This is the lowest point of the season for the Kings, as they fell to the Indiana Pacers 122-95 on Sunday night.

On Sunday, the Kings gave up. It’s as simple as that. In the first half, they played decently enough to stay in the game, albeit against a not-so-good Indiana Pacers team. Both teams scored 52 points in the first half, as the Kings weren’t playing well but hadn’t yet resigned themselves to defeat. De’Aaron Fox scored 15 points in the first half, while no Indiana player had reached double digits.

In the second half, everything unraveled. How did it unravel, you might ask? Well, it was a typical Kings loss. Their defense was poor, their shooting was lackluster, and their effort appeared minimal to nonexistent throughout the entire second half. The team looked as if they had simply given up.

As the game ended and the final buzzer sounded, the Kings suffered a 122-95 loss. De’Aaron Fox led the team with 23 points but was far from efficient, shooting just 7-19 from the field. The Pacers, despite not having any player score more than 20 points, still won by over 25 points.

It was arguably the worst loss of the season, a sentiment echoed by Mike Brown in his postgame comments. When asked by reporter Sean Cunningham if this was the lowest point of the season, Brown replied, “Uh, this is pretty low. We’ve had some other tough moments…” Well, this truly was the lowest moment for the Kings. Sunday’s loss to the Pacers dropped their record to 13-17, four games under .500, marking their worst record of the season so far.

I’m not frustrated with Brown’s comments—after all, what is he supposed to say? He can’t publicly criticize the front office during a postgame press conference, even if it would be entirely justified. This team has dealt with the same issues for years, and the front office has either failed to make a deal to improve the roster or hasn’t even tried.

Frankly, it makes little difference which of these scenarios is true. The simple reality is that they have failed to address well-documented issues, and that responsibility falls on Monte and his team. Brown went on to say in his media availability that he is doing everything he can to find someone on the roster who will step up, stating, “I’m going to keep searching.”

The fans were visibly and audibly frustrated with the team. The Kings were booed off the court, and chants of “Keon Ellis” echoed through the Golden 1 Center rafters late Sunday night.

This is not how the season was supposed to unfold. The offseason addition of DeMar DeRozan and the re-signing of Malik Monk were, on paper, among the better moves the Kings have made in recent memory. While DeRozan’s fit with the team was never perfect, it seemed like a step forward for the franchise. The pitch to DeRozan and his team was simple: “Come to Sacramento for a chance to win.” So far, winning has been left in the rearview mirror for this group.

This was the final game for the Kings before Christmas. Their next matchup will be on Thursday at 7 PM at Golden 1 Center against the Detroit Pistons. Kings GM Monte McNair and owner Vivek Ranadivé must decide on the direction they want to take this franchise in the coming years.

Will they rebuild from scratch and trade the core, or will they retool around one of their current stars? One thing is certain: this roster needs to change, and the Kings likely won’t have to wait long to see that change.

No stopping LeBron has 32 points in Lakers 103-99 two game sweep over Kings

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Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) gets fouled by the Sacramento Kings DeMar DeRozan (left) in the first half at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento on Sat Dec 21, 2024 (AP News photo)

By Jeremiah Salmonson

SACRAMENTO–The Sacramento Kings were back in action on Saturday afternoon in Sacramento. The Kings and Lakers faced off in the second matchup in three days. The Kings lost the first game to the Lakers on Thursday, 113-100. On Saturday, the Kings lost to the Lakers, 103-99.

In the first quarter, the Lakers leaned heavily on the greatness of LeBron James. LeBron dominated in the paint and scored 12 points while helping build a lead for the Lakers. The Lakers outscored the Kings in the first quarter, 31-26, as they jumped out to an early lead against Sacramento. De’Aaron Fox did his best to keep the Kings close with nine first-quarter points of his own. Similarly to the first game of the set on Thursday, the Lakers’ physicality was proving too much for the Kings early on.

As the game progressed in the second quarter, the Kings seemed to get their legs under them a bit. The Lakers were still a lot to handle for the Kings, as LeBron James and Anthony Davis routinely got the Kings in rotation. D’Angelo Russell also put together a solid half of play as he hit his shots and played solid defense, sealing off the passing lanes.

However, the Kings outscored the Lakers in the second, 27-25, to shrink the lead to 56-53 going into halftime. De’Aaron Fox led the Kings with 17 points in the first half, while LeBron James added 23.

In the third quarter, the game didn’t see much movement. The Kings and Lakers traded baskets as the Lakers extended the lead to 81-77 after three quarters of action. The Lakers outscored the Kings 25-24 in the third, as De’Aaron Fox and LeBron James continued to lead their teams with 26 and 25 points, respectively.

In the fourth quarter, the Kings were able to keep things close and give themselves a chance to win. Unfortunately for Kings fans, it was all for nothing as they couldn’t close out the game. The Lakers went on to beat the Kings, 103-99. The ending of the Kings’ game was a microcosm of the whole season. The Kings committed a careless foul by Malik Monk on Anthony Davis and failed to secure the rebound after a missed AD free throw, sealing their fate. It was a disappointing loss for the Kings, who have now lost three in a row.

After the game, the media heard from Mike Brown, Keegan Murray, and De’Aaron Fox. The sentiment was largely the same from all three: the Kings still did not do the little things needed to win the game. The free-throw box-out at the end of the game was highest on that list. The pressure is mounting in Sacramento—it’s palpable. If the results on the court don’t improve, it is almost certain that some roster moves will be made.

Up Next: The Kings stay home to take on the Indiana Pacers on Sunday at 3 PM PST inside Golden 1 Center. Tyrese Haliburton will be in town and is sure to be ready to show the Kings organization why they shouldn’t have traded him.

Sacramento Kings podcast with Jeremiah Salmonson: Reaves leads Lakers with 25 points defeat Kings 113-100

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LeBron James forward (23) for the Los Angeles Lakers set NBA record with 34 minutes against the Sacramento Kings that broke Kareem Abdul Jabbar’s 57,446 minutes. LeBron setting the new record at 57,471 minutes for most time in a career at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento on Thu Dec 19, 2024 (AP News photo)

On the Sacramento Kings podcast with Jeremiah Salmonson:

#1 Point guard Austin Reaves led the Los Angeles Lakers (15-12) with 25 points to help defeat the Sacramento Kings (13-15) at Golden 1 in Sacramento.

#2 Anthony Davis who scored 40 points in the previous game against the Memphis Grizzlies followed up Reaves with 21 points of his own he’s been a big contributor for the Lakers in these last two games.

#3 The Kings took a 62-58 half time lead over the Lakers getting some offense from De’Aaron Fox, Domantas Sabonis, and Malik Monk it was looking good up to that point.

#4 The Kings didn’t fare much better in the second half as the Lakers edged the Kings in the third quarter 24-22 and 27-20 in the fourth quarter winning it 113-100.

#5 Lakers and Kings have a go at it again this Saturday night at Golden 1. Thursday’s game was a 13 point difference. The Kings have the home floor and got a look at the Lakers in the first game can Kings turn things around?

Join Jeremiah for the Kings podcasts each Fridays at http://www.sportsradioservice.com