Category: Sacramento Kings

Kings Huerter leads with 25, Sabonis gets triple double in 123-108 win over Pelicans

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Sacramento Kings forward Domantas Sabonis (10) is defended by New Orleans Pelicans center Jonas Valanciunas in the first quarter at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento on Mon Mar 6, 2023 (AP News photo)

By Jeremiah Salmonson

Sacramento Kings (38-26) Kevin Huerter scores 25 points to lead the Kings with Domantas Sabonis scoring a triple double which was his eighth triple double of the 2022-23 season. It was another home victory for the Kings defeating the visiting New Orleans Pelicans (31-34) 123-108 at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento.

Sabonis’ contribution paid off big in the scoring department helping out Huerter’s effort. Sabonis scored 19 and had 11 rebounds, 11 assists. Sabonis is the NBA leader with 52 double doubles. The Kings have now won six of their last seven games since All Star weekend back on Sun Feb 19th.

The Kings have been playing amazing ball and picking up wins that have now placed them in second seeding in the NBA Western Conference just behind the first seeded Memphis Grizzlies by a half game. Kings Keegan Murray hopes Sacramento can keep up the pace hoping they can get the home floor advantage through the post season.

Murray mentioned that the Kings have some tough stretches coming up facing teams like the New York Knicks this Thursday at Golden 1, then hit the road to face Phoenix Suns Sat Mar 11, then back in Sacramento on Mon Mar 13 against the Milwaukee Bucks.

“We want to play our first (playoff) game at home,” Murray said. “It’s not easy, we know we have a lot of tough stretches coming up. We know we have to be locked in every single night.” The third quarter was key as the Kings out scored the Pelicans by a 18 point margin 38-20 that pretty much clinched it for Sacramento. A great offensive third quarter performance considering the game was all tied up at 59 each at the half.

The Knicks have been on a roll winning nine of their last ten games and have won nine straight games defeating the Boston Celtics in their last game on 131-129 in overtime on Sunday at TD Garden in Boston. The Knicks are in fifth place in the NBA Eastern Conference. The win for the Kings is their seventh in ten games. The tip with the Knicks and Kings is at 7:00p this coming Thursday night at Golden 1.

Kings edge Clippers 128-127 at Golden 1; Sac extends win streak to five

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Sacramento Kings forward Domantas Sabonis (10) spins away from Los Angeles Clippers center Mason Plumlee (44) during the first quarter at Golden 1 in Sacramento on Fri Mar 3, 2023 (AP News photo)

By Jeremiah Salmonson

SACRAMENTO–The Sacramento Kings ((37-25) were back in action on Friday night. The Kings last played on Tuesday in Oklahoma City. The Kings played two games against the Thunder with an off day in between. The Kings played the Los Angeles Clippers (33-33) not long ago Fri Feb 24 when they had the second-highest-scoring NBA game in history.

The Kings won in double overtime 176-175. On Saturday, the Kings looked to put away the LA Clippers for the second time in as many weeks. The Kings defeated the Clippers 128-127 on Friday night.

In the first quarter, the Kings and Clippers both got off to hot starts on offense. The Kings scored 35 points in the first quarter to jump out to a quick three-point lead. The Clippers started with 33 points in the first. The defense for both teams was lacking early on in the game. The Clippers were without Kawhi Leonard in the back-to-back game after losing to Golden State on Thursday.

In the second quarter, the Kings added two points to the lead. The Kings managed to outscore the Clippers 33-31 in the second quarter. This led the Kings to take a 68-63 halftime lead. The Clippers in the absence of Kawhi were getting a great performance from Russ Westbrook. Westbrook had 15 points at halftime. The Kings were led in the first half by Kevin Heurter who scored 14 points. The Kings in the second half would need to turn it up on the offensive end to put away the Clippers.

In the third quarter, the Kings and Clippers didn’t move an inch. The Kings scored 33 points in the quarter as the Clippers followed with 33 of their own. The Kings and Clippers would head to the final quarter with the Kings leading 101-96. The Kings and Clippers might be a first-round playoff preview. It would be an exciting series if that is the case. The teams are very competitively matched. The Kings would look to secure the game on the defensive end of the floor in the final quarter to seal the deal.

In the fourth quarter, the Kings barely held onto the lead. The Kings were outscored by the Clippers 31-27 in the final quarter. The game was an absolute nail-biter. Like the game a couple of weeks ago, it came down to one point and the final shot.

The Kings of last year would have lost this game. However, the new look Kings didn’t give in. Putting my critical hat on, the Kings should have won this game by five or more points. However, the win is all that counts for a fan base dying to make the playoffs. The Kings were led in victory by De’Aaron Fox who had 33 points. In defeat, Paul George was the leading scorer with 28 points. The Kings will look to continue the winning streak in the next game.

Up Next: The Kings stay home to take on the Minnesota Timberwolves on Saturday at 7 PM PST.

Sacramento Kings podcast with Jeremiah Salmonson: Kings looking to avenge Clippers tonight at Golden 1

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Oklahoma City Thunder guard Tre Mann, center, shoots between Sacramento Kings forward Harrison Barnes (40) and forward Domantas Sabonis (10) in the first half in Oklahoma City on Tuesday, Feb. 28, 2023. (AP News photo)

On the Kings podcast with Jeremiah:

#1 The Kings took the court without De’Aaron Fox out with a wrist issue. Sacramento extended the Thunder’s losing streak to four straight games 123-117 on Tuesday night.

#2 The Kings came out strong in the first quarter winning the first 12 minutes 44-38. Sacramento had a great offensive start shooting at 66%.

#3 The Kings saw some beautiful ball movement in the second quarter as the Kings extended their lead to 68-59 with two minutes left in the half. They had led in the quarter by as much as 15 points. 

#4 In the absence of Fox the man of the hour with the high score was Barnes shooting for 29 points. Sabonis had 22 and Kevin Huerter with 20 points. The Thunder got close at times but the Kings held on for the win.

#5 Friday night the Kings will be facing a very tough Los Angeles Clipper team at Golden 1 Center. Los Angeles will be looking to avenge the double overtime they lost to Sacramento back on February 24th. The score in that game was 176-175. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:00 PM.

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

Sacramento Kings game wrap: No Fox? No Problem as Sacramento Beats OKC 123-117

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The Oklahoma Thunder’s forward Jalen Williams (8) sets up as the Sacramento Kings guard Malik Monk (0) gets ready to defend at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City on Tue Feb 28, 2023 (@SacramentoKings photo)

No Fox? No Problem as Sacramento Beats OKC 123-117

By Barbara Mason

Tuesday night the Sacramento Kings (36-26) took on the Oklahoma City Thunder (28-33) at Paycom Center after beating them Sunday 124- 115. The Kings took the court without De’Aaron Fox out with a wrist issue. Sacramento extended the Thunder’s losing streak to four straight games 123-117 on Tuesday night.

Game recap: The Kings came out strong in the first quarter winning the first 12 minutes 44-38. Sacramento had a great offensive start shooting at 66%.

The Kings saw some beautiful ball movement in the second quarter as the Kings extended their lead to 68-59 with two minutes left in the half. They had led in the quarter by as much as 15 points. Their shooting percentage had dropped a bit but still outstanding at 60%. Sacramento took a 71- 66 lead into the locker room after the first two quarters.

The Kings got into some early foul trouble in the third quarter. Domantas Sabonis had four personals and Coach Brown had to pull him and with Fox out, the Kings would need all hands on deck for the remainder of the quarter. Sacramento had really cooled off from downtown but still held onto the lead after three 93-87.

They were shooting at 50.8 percent. The offense had fallen off and they would need to shore it up in the fourth quarter if they wanted to close this game out.

The Thunder would not go away and with nine minutes left in the game it was all tied up at 98. The Kings continued to struggle from beyond the arc. Harrison Barnes broke the drought hitting a three at 7:36 to give Sacramento a slim lead 101-98.

Sacramento had a frenzied sequence and with 5:46 left on the clock had extended their lead to ten 110-100. Again it was Harrison Barnes with yet another three that pushed the lead in favor of Sacramento. Every starter was shooting in double digits although the team was really missing the ball handling and speed of Fox. The final was 123-117 in favor of the Kings.

In the absence of Fox the man of the hour with the high score was Barnes shooting for 29 points. Sabonis had 22 and Kevin Huerter with 20 points. The Thunder got close at times but the Kings held on for the win.

Again the Kings struggled with protecting the ball. They had 17 turnovers.

Friday night the Kings will be facing a very tough Los Angeles Clipper team at Golden 1 Center. Los Angeles will be looking to avenge the double overtime they lost to Sacramento back on February 24th. The score in that game was 176-175. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:00 PM.

Kings Wins Third Game In A Row Defeating Thunder 124-115

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The Sacramento Kings guard De’Aaron Fox (5) goes for the two pointer against the Oklahoma City Thunder’s guard Isiah Joe (left) in Oklahoma City on Sun Feb 26, 2023 (AP News photo)

Kings Wins Third Game In A Row Defeating Thunder 124-115

By Barbara Mason

Coming off of what has got to be the craziest game of this NBA season, the Sacramento Kings (35-25) took on the OKC Thunder (28-32) at Paycom Center Sunday night. The double overtime game the Kings played on Friday night was the second highest scoring contest in NBA history. The Kings won that game over the Clippers 176-175 in a real thriller. They got one day of rest yesterday before heading to Oklahoma to take on the Thunder and picked up their third win in row 124-115.

The Kings got a nice start in the first quarter winning it 36-26. De’Aaron Fox was on fire from the get go and did not take his foot off the pedal through the first half. After two quarters the Kings led 58-50 even though the Thunder won the second quarter 24-22.

OKC continued to push back winning the third quarter 40-36. The Kings still had the lead after three quarters but it was becoming uncomfortably close at 94-90.

Sacramento got some great play off the bench from Trey Lyles and Malik Monk and Fox continued to drain shot after shot in the fourth quarter. With under two minutes the Kings held onto an eight lead 120-112. The nine point win in favor of the Kings for their 35th win of the season.

It was another monster game for Domantas Sabonis with another double double and the man of the hour was Fox with yet another thirty plus game finishing with 33. The guy is a master on offense, defense and at the line. He leads the NBA in clutch points which we saw tonight. Off the bench Lyles had 16 points.

If there was any negative for Sacramento in this game it had to be the uncharacteristic number of turnovers with 20. That most certainly will be addressed before they take the court again.

Tuesday night the Kings will meet in a second game against the Thunder at Paycom looking to win a fourth game in a row since the break. Tipoff is scheduled for 5:00 PM.

Sacramento Kings podcast with Jeremiah Salmonson: Kings on back to back nights battle Clippers tonight in Southland

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Portland Trail Blazers guard Keon Johnson drives to the basket past Sacramento Kings forward Domantas Sabonis (10) during the first quarter at the Golden 1 Center in Sacramento (AP News photo)

On the Kings podcast with Jeremiah:

#1 The Sacramento Kings (33-25) were sloppy with the ball on offense, and the defense was nonexistent. It makes it even worse that Portland Trailblazers (28-31) didn’t have a single starter in the game. They were all resting due to the plane ride delays and injuries in spite of all of that the Kings mastered a pretty sizable win 133-116 at Golden 1 Center Thursday night.

#2 In the second quarter, the Kings played much more competitively. They sharpened up the defensive side of the ball a little bit.

#3 In the third quarter, the Kings and Blazers both scored 34 points. It was an uneventful quarter in which neither team played any defense. The Kings offense stayed hot after a sizzling second quarter.

#4 In the fourth quarter, the Kings efficiently handled the Blazers. The Kings outscored the Blazers 33-25 in the final quarter to defeat them. It was a solid win for the Kings. 

#5 The Sacramento Kings take on the Los Angeles Clippers tonight at 730 PM PST at Crypto.com Arena in the Southland.

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

Fox rains baskets on Trailblazers in Kings 133-116 win at Golden One

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Sacramento Kings guard De’Aaron Fox (5) reacts after scoring a basket against Portland Trail Blazers forward Nassir Little (10) during the second quarter at Golden 1 Center on Thu Feb 23, 2023 (USA Today photo)

By Jeremiah Salmonson

SACRAMENTO–The Sacramento Kings (33-25)were back in town on Thursday night after the All-Star break. The Kings last played against the Phoenix Suns on the road on Saturday, the 14th. The Kings did not play well in the valley of the sun as they lost to the Suns 120-109.

The Kings sent four players to the All-Star festivities. De’Aaron Fox and Domas Sabonis as reserves, Keegan Murray in the rising stars game, and Kevin Huerter in the three-point contest. On Thursday, the Kings looked to get the unofficial second half underway as the Portland Trail Blazers. Tip-off was set for 7 PM PST in Sacramento. The Kings downed the Trail Blazers (28-31) by the final of 133-116.

In the first quarter, the Kings played terribly. It was one of the worst quarters of the year for the Kings. They were outscored 37-26, but that didn’t tell the whole story. The Kings were sloppy with the ball on offense, and the defense was nonexistent. It makes it even worse that Portland didn’t have a single starter in the game. They were all resting due to the plane ride delays and injuries.

In the second quarter, the Kings played much more competitively. They sharpened up the defensive side of the ball a little bit. However, the defense was still bad. The improvement came on the offensive end as the shots started to fall more for the Kings. In the second quarter, the Kings outscored the Blazers 37-20 to take the lead into the second half. D Fox led the way with 11 points in the first half. Nassir Little led the way for the Blazers with 12 points in the first half.

In the third quarter, the Kings and Blazers both scored 34 points. It was an uneventful quarter in which neither team played any defense. The Kings offense stayed hot after a sizzling second quarter. You have to give the Blazers second unit credit in the game. With the lack of most of the starters, the Blazers held their own. The Kings looked to close out Portland in the final quarter. The score after three was Kings up 100-91.

In the fourth quarter, the Kings efficiently handled the Blazers. The Kings outscored the Blazers 33-25 in the final quarter to defeat them. It was a solid win for the Kings. Some would even say a great win for the Kings. In times of old, the Kings would lose this game.

The 2021 and 2022 Sacramento lose this game. However, after starting the game poorly, the Kings managed to come back and defeat the short-handed Portland team. The Kings did what good teams are supposed to do. Leading the way for the Kings was All-Star Fox, who scored 31 points.

The performance by Fox is not to be overshadowed by the 18-point triple-double by Sabonis. It was an excellent win for the Kings, who did nothing at the deadline and hope for a playoff birth. Let the race to the postseason begin.

Up Next: The Sacramento Kings will fly to LA to take on the Clippers on Friday night at 730 PM PST.

Sacramento Kings podcast with Jeremiah Salmonson: Fox and Sabonis look forward to representing Kings at All Star game

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Sacramento Kings Domantas Sabonis (left) and De’Aaron Fox (right) will represent the Kings at the NBA All Star Game this weekend on Sun Feb 19, 2023 in Florida (photo from NBC Sports Northern California)

On the Kings podcast with Jeremiah:

#1 Jeremiah, the first half of the season ended for the Sacramento Kings (32-25) not so well in Phoenix as the Kings were defeated rather handedly by the Phoenix Suns (32-27) at Footprint Arena on Tuesday night.

#2 The Kings by and large did get some high scoring by De’Aaron Fox with 35 points and Domantas Sabonis with 24 points but it wasn’t enough to win the game for the Kings.

#3 The key part of the Suns victory was they kept the Kings from scoring by some double teaming and strangling the paint the Kings for some crucial parts of the game got their inside game shutdown.

#4 On defense for the Kings couldn’t plug up the hole for the Suns Devon Booker 32 points and Deandre Ayton with 29 points.

#5 Fox and Sabonis are representing the Kings at the NBA All Star game this Sunday Feb 19th talk about the season they’ve both been having and what you look forward to see them doing this weekend at the NBA All Star game.

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

Kings no match for Suns Booker and Ayton in 120-109 crushing at Footprint Arena

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Sacramento Kings guard De’Aaron Fox (5) who led with 35 points but the effort wasn’t enough as the Phoenix Suns came away with an 11 point win at Footprint Arena in Phoenix on Tue Feb 14, 2023 (@SacramentoKings photo)

By Jeremiah Salmonson

PHOENIX–The Sacramento Kings were back in action on Tuesday night in Phoenix as they took on the Suns. The Kings were last on the court on Saturday when they took on the Dallas Mavericks on the second night of a back-to-back at home. The Kings lost the first night of the two-game series against Dallas.

However, the Kings managed to lock down an overtime win on Saturday 133-128. On Tuesday, the Kings would look to secure a win in the last game before the All-Star break. The Kings will send Domas Sabonis and De’Aaron Fox to the festivities in Utah as All-Stars. Kevin Heurter will travel to Utah to compete in the NBA three-point challenge. On Tuesday, the Kings fell to the Suns 120-109 in Phoenix.

In the first quarter, the Kings played a solid opening quarter. The Kings defense was solid with the exceptions of Ayton and Devin Booker who scored eight and nine points respectively. Fox started the Kings out on the right foot scoring seven points. The Kings defense overall was solid even with a few missed assignments. The Kings outscored the Suns 29-27 in the first quarter.

In the second quarter, The Suns came out hot in the quarter and were able to maintain the pressure throughout. The Suns scored 35 points in the second quarter compared to the Kings who only scored 29 points. The Kings defense could not contain Josh Okogie, Chris Paul, and Booker.

The three players scored a combined 41 points in the first half. The Kings would enter the second half down 62-58. However, the Kings did put up a fight in the first half. Fox had 16 points as he was leading the Kings. The Kings would need to go off on the offensive end in the second half if they wanted to defeat the Suns.

In the third quarter, the Kings and Suns were trading shot for shot. Both teams scored 28 points in the third to keep the score at 90-86. The Kings defense continued to not be able to contain the Suns. Also, the Kings offense was missing some of the burst you typically see. Shots were not falling as easily for the Kings on Tuesday night.

The difference in the game was the Kings shooting under 50% in the game and the Suns shooting over 50%. The Suns were simply making more out of their possessions than the Kings. In the fourth quarter, the Kings would need every ounce of offense to make the comeback happen.

In the fourth quarter, the Kings weren’t able to muster the offense needed to make the comeback. The whole game the Kings appeared outmatched. However, the Kings kept the game close and stayed in the fight. The Kings were outscored by the Suns in the final quarter 30-23.

The Kings offense couldn’t get on a run all night long. The Kings fell to the Suns in the valley by the final 120-109. The Kings were led by an impressive Fox who scored 35 points in the game. Booker torched the Kings as usual as he scored 32 points in the game.

Up Next: The Kings will be off for the All-Star break until February 23rd. When the Kings return to play they will take on the Portland Trailblazers at 7 PM PST in Sacramento.

Kings Best Dallas In Overtime 133-128

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The Dallas Mavericks Kyrie Irving in the air (left) can watch the Sacramento Kings DeAaron Fox (5) right gets some hang time after throwing down at the Golden 1 Center in Sacramento on Sat Feb 11, 2023 (@SacramentoKings photo)

Kings Best Dallas In Overtime 133-128

By Barbara Mason

After losing to the Dallas Mavericks (31-27) Friday night 122-114, the Sacramento Kings (32-24) played the Mavericks Saturday night in a back-to-back and ended up with a split taking game two 133-128.

Last night the Kings had a forgettable first quarter losing it 45-25 which made all the difference in the game. The Kings won the remaining quarters but it was the first quarter that set them behind the eight ball for the remainder of the game.

The Kings were determined to play an improved first quarter in tonight’s game but they would face another challenge with the return of Luca Doncic.

The first quarter was indeed improved for Sacramento winning it 34-32. They did not win the second quarter but it was another close one with Dallas winning it 32-28 and leading at the half 64-62.

It was a toss-up at the end of the third quarter with the two teams deadlocked at 24 and the Mavericks hanging onto a 88-86 lead. It was anybody’s game going into the fourth quarter.

With 52.3 left on the clock this game was tied at 112. As the clock expired at the end of the fourth quarter the score remained knotted at 114 apiece. De’Aaron Fox took the final shot in regulation, a three-point jumper that missed.

Overtime was a dog fight as the two teams fought for the lead . The Kings took a 123-119 lead with two minutes left in overtime. The Kings had a 127-123 lead with less than a minute left in the game.

The Mavericks Kyrie Irving hit a 26-foot three pointer and with18.4 left on the clock the Kings had a 127-126 lead. De’Aaron Fox hit a couple of free throws to extend the Kings lead to 129-126. In the end it was Doncic who missed a game tying shot. It was a wild and crazy game that brought out the best of both teams.

Again it was Fox at the line winning the game for Sacramento finishing with 36 points. Fox hit two shots at the line with 18.4 left. Domantas Sabonis had 14 rebounds, every one of them critical, and 22 points. Terence Davis had 22 points off the bench and Trey Lyles had 14. This was a great team effort after the disappointing game last night. Sacramento more than made up for it.

The Kings defense had their hands full with Doncic (27 points),Irving (28 points) and Josh Green (23 points). They handled Dallas in a great defensive and offensive effort.

The Kings will next take on the Phoenix Suns Tuesday night leading up to the All-Star game. Tipoff is scheduled for 6:00 PM.