Category: Sacramento Kings

King drop second game on homestand to Wizards 125-111 Friday

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Washington Wizards forward Corey Kispert, second from left, drives to the basket past Sacramento Kings guard De’Aaron Fox during the first quarter at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento on Fri Dec 23, 2022 (AP News photo)

By Jeremiah Salmonson

SACRAMENTO–The Sacramento Kings (17-14) were back in action on Friday night. The Kings last played on Wednesday night as they took on LeBron James and the LA Lakers at home. The Kings handled the Lakers with ease and looked to continue the trend on Friday. The Kings were set to take on the visiting Washington Wizards (13-21) at 7PM on Friday night. The Kings dropped the contest by the final of 125-111.

In the first quarter, the Kings started slow. The Kings offense got off to a sluggish start in the first quarter. They did manage to score 27 points in the first quarter. However, the Wizards scored 28 points with Bradley Beal leading the way with nine. Domas Sabonis led the way for the Kings with eight points.

In the second quarter, it was even worse for the Kings. The Kings offense couldn’t catch a break and the Wizards were running in the open court on offense. The Kings appeared lifeless on this Friday night and the Golden One Center crowd was audibly unhappy.

The Kings were outscored by a massive 40-23 in the second quarter to fall into a 18 point deficit headed into halftime. The Wizards could do no wrong on the offensive end shooting near 60% in the first half. The Kings would need a massive rally in the second half to come back 68-50.

In the third quarter, it was a much more even game. However, that is not what the Kings needed. In desperate need for a big quarter the Kings only managed to hang tight against the Wizards. The Kings scored 33 points in the third compared to the Wizards 34. The massive second quarter for the Wizards was holding strong for them up through the third. The Kings would head into the final quarter down 102-83. Would the Kings pull off a stunning comeback in the fourth?

In the fourth quarter, the Kings weren’t able to rally back. The Wizards continued to put the pressure on the Kings in the fourth quarter so squander any chance the Kings had at a comeback. The Kings managed to out score the Wizards 28-23 in the fourth but it was too little too late.

The Wizards had built such an insurmountable lead in the second quarter that they rolled to the victory 125-111. It was a disappointing loss for the Kings in front of a great Golden 1 Center crowd. Kyle Kuzma led all scorers with 32 points in the game to lead the Wizards to victory.

On the other hand, Domantas Sabonis had a triple double for the Kings and De’Aaron Fox finished with 26 points. It was a disappointing loss for the Kings, akin to the recent loss to Charlotte. However, the Kings will look to turn the page after Christmas.

Up Next: The Kings stay home to take on the Denver Nuggets on Tuesday at 7 PM PST.

Sacramento Kings podcast with Jeremiah Salmonson: Kings host a struggling Wizards team tonight at Golden One

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Sacramento Kings forward Domantas Sabonis (10) is defended by Los Angeles Lakers center Thomas Bryant (31) during the first quarter at Golden One Center in Sacramento on Wed Dec 21, 2022 (AP News photo)

On the Kings podcast with Jeremiah:

#1 The Sacramento Kings (17-13) did not welcome Lebron “King” James and the Los Angeles Lakers (13-18) into their kingdom and threw them into the moat surrounding Golden 1 Center 134-120.

#2 The Lakers actually had the advantage after the first 12 minutes of play, 26-25 in a quarter that had ten lead changes and five ties.

#3 The Kings managed to take the lead at the midway point of the contest with veteran forward and champion, Harrison Barnes led the charge with 14 points and totaled 20 for the game. At the half, 66-58 Kings.

#4 The fourth was just a formality, as the Kings held on to win by 14, despite being outscored by six at the hands of the Lakers.

#5 The Kings host the Washington Wizards who have lost nine of their last ten games. The Kings who are in sixth place and have won six of their last ten games. How do you see this game after the 7:00pm tip tonight.

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

Kings Remove Lebron’s Crown Beat Lakers in California State Capital, 134-120

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Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (6) makes way against the Sacramento Kings forward Keegan Murray (13) in second half action at Golden One Center in Sacramento on Wed Dec 21, 2022 (AP News photo)

By Michael Roberson

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The Sacramento Kings (17-13) did not welcome Lebron “King” James and the Los Angeles Lakers (13-18) into their kingdom and threw them into the moat surrounding Golden 1 Center 134-120.

The Lakers actually had the advantage after the first 12 minutes of play, 26-25 in a quarter that had 10 lead changes and five ties.

The Kings managed to take the lead at the midway point of the contest with veteran forward and champion, Harrison Barnes led the charge with 14 points and totaled 20 for the game. At the half, 66-58 Kings.

Sacramento blew it open in the third quarter, with a lead as large as 23 points and they went on a 14-0 run in the 3/4 portion of the game, leading by 20, 106-86.

The fourth was just a formality, as the Kings held on to win by 14, despite being outscored by six at the hands of the Lakers, Final tally, 134-120 for the home team.

The Kings had six players in double-figures, spearheaded by guard Kevin Huerter’s 26 points and center Domantas Sabonis’ triple-double (13 points, 21 rebounds and 14 assists). Forward Keegan Murray contributed a career high 23 points and star guard De’Arron Fox put up 22 points and 6 assists, but was ejected from the game for amassing two technical fouls.

The Lakers had the entire starting five hit double-figures in points too, but of course led Lebron James’ 31 points, 11 assists and 6 rebounds. Even with the loss in emphatic fashion, James expressed his fondness of Sacramento, because it is the city where everything started with his magnificent career.

The Kings will be in action again, Friday December 23, hosting the Washington Wizards. The Lakers will head back down south to welcome the Charlotte Hornets, also December 23.

Charlotte Bests Sacramento 125-119

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The Sacramento Kings guard De’Aaron Fox (5) moves towards the basket against the Charlotte Hornets center Mason Plumlee (24) at Golden One Center in Sacramento on Mon Dec 19, 2022 (@SacramentoKings photo)

Charlotte Bests Sacramento 125-119

By Barbara Mason

Monday night the Sacramento Kings (16-13) hosted the Charlotte Hornets (8-23) at Golden 1 Center. The Kings come into this game riding on a two game winning streak. In a back and forth contest the Hornets hung on to beat the Kings at Golden One Center in Sacramento 125-119.

The Hornets took a 39-30 lead after the first 12 minutes. 20 seconds into the second quarter the Hornets had taken an 11 point lead. The Kings began to slowly turn things around and with 5:30 left in the half the game was tied at 50. At the half the Hornets led 66-63. The Kings missed three shots in a row in the final minute erasing the seven point lead they had taken in the final 21/2 minutes of the second quarter.

The Hornets Kelly Oubre Jr. had 17 points in the first half. Domantas Sabonis finished the half with 14 points and 16 rebounds for the Kings. Along with Sabonis, De’Aaron Fox and Harrison Barnes also had double digits in the half.

The Kings erased a 12 point Hornets advantage taking the lead 87-85 at 2:29 in the third quarter. Sacramento was clinging to a one-point lead 92-91 after three.

With two minutes left in the game, the Kings trailed 118-112. Sacramento pulled to within two points 118-116 at 1:10. Charlotte refused to give up the lead and with 56 ticks left on the clock led 122-116. The final was 125-119 in favor of the Hornets.

Despite the loss the Kings saw some nice numbers from their starters. De’Aaron Fox finished with 37 points and Sabonis had 28 points and 23 rebounds. Sacramento just couldn’t come up with enough to put the Hornets away.

The high score for the Hornets was Kelly Oubre Jr. with 31 points. LaMelo Ball finished with 23.

Wednesday night the Kings will host the Los Angeles Lakers. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:00 PM.

Kings starters enjoy big night in 122-113 win over Pistons

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Sacramento Kings forward Domantas Sabonis (10) drives on Detroit Pistons center Jalen Duren (0) in the second half at Little Caser’s Pizza Arena in Detroit on Fri Dec 16, 2022 (AP News photo)

By Daniel Dullum
Friday, December 15, 2022

A dominant performance by Sacramento’s starting five, led by center Damontas Sabonis, sparked the Kings to a decisive 122-113 win over Detroit Friday night in The Motor City.

Sabonis scored 23 points, 13 rebounds and seven assists, as the Kings’ starters outscored the Pistons’ starters 99-66. The Kings had seven players reach double-figures, including all five starters.

De’Aaron Fox had 24 points and nine assists for Sacramento, with Keegan Murray next with 20 points, Harrison Barnes had 19 points and Kevin huerter had 13. Malik Monk had 11 points and six assists off the Kings bench, and Terence Davis scored 10 points in 17 minutes.

The Kings’ starters outscored Detroit’s 35-8 in the third quarter.

Bojan Bogdanovic was the top scorer for Detroit with 22 points, followed by Jalen Duran with 15 points and 13 rebounds. The Pistons (8-23) also had 14 points from Saddiq Bey and a 13-ooint effort from Marvin Bagley III.

Sacramento led 93-86 after three quarters. The Pistons pulled to within 106-100 midway through the fourth quarter, but Harrison Barnes stepped up with a 3-pointer, stripped Bogdanovic and converted a layup to put the Kings up by 11 points with 5:46 to play.

BROWN FINED BY NBA
The NBA announced on Friday that Kings head coach Mike Brown was fined $25,000 by the league for what was termed “an explosive ejection” in the Kings’ 124-123 win in Toronto on Wednesday. The NBA said in a statement that Brown was fined for “aggressively pursuing and directing profane language toward a game official.”

Brown was assessed two technical fouls and ejected with 9:09 remaining in the third quarter of Sacramento’s win over the Raptors.

The Kings (16-12) host Charlotte on Monday night.

Kings hold off Toronto 124-123

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Sacramento Kings guard De’Aaron Fox (5) drives as Toronto Raptors guard Fred VanVleet (23) and forward Scottie Barnes (4) defend during the second half  in Toronto on Wed Dec 14, 2022 (Canadian Press via AP News photo)

By Daniel Dullum
Wednesday, December 14, 2022

Clutch free throw shooting by Sacramento in the final 32 seconds helped the Kings hold off the Toronto Raptors 124-123 Wednesday at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto.

The Kings, who had six players score in double-figures, improved to 15-12; they trail Phoenix by one-half game in the NBA Pacific Division standings. Toronto slipped to 13-15.

DeAaron Fox made a 15-foot jumper from the top of the key with 1:07 remaining in the fourth quarter, giving the Kings a 120-115 lead. Fred VanVleet responded with a 14-foot driving bank shot to pull the Raptors to within 12-117 with :47.5 to play.

After the teams swapped turnovers, Harrison Barnes sank a pair of free throws with :31.8 to go, putting Sacramento up 122-117. With :21.4 left Scottie Barnes was fouled in the act of shooting, and sank one of two at the line.

The Kings’ Malik Monk was fouled while shooting by Thaddeus Young, and made one of two free throws with :19 to play, giving Sacramento a 123-119 lead. Twelve seconds later, VanVleet scored on a short hook shot, pulling the Raptors to within 123-121.

Sacramento called a full timeout after VanVleet’s basket, and Fox was fouled while shooting with :05.9 left. Fox made 1-of-2 foul shots, and after a Toronto timeout, VanVleet missed a long 3-point attempt.

Fox led the Kings with 27 points and 10 assists, while Monk scored 24 points off the bench. Domantas Sabonis scored 21 points and grabbed 20 rebounds to go with seven assists, Terence Davis had 10 points, followed by Harrison Barnes with 12 points and eight boards, and Keegan Murray with 10 points.

VanVleet popped in a game-high 39 points for Toronto, to go with eight rebounds, five assists, four steals and a block. Scottie Barnes had 27 points and 10 assists for the Raptors, with Pascal Siakam adding 19 points and six assists.

The Kings’ Eastern road trip continues Friday, when the face the Detroit Pistons.

Kings embarrassed by 76ers 123-103; Sac sixth loss in ten games

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Philadelphia 76ers’ Tobias Harris goes up for a dunk during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Sacramento Kings, Tuesday, Dec. 13, 2022, in Philadelphia at the Wells Fargo Center. (AP News photo)

Kings Embarrassed By 76ers 123-103

By Barbara Mason

Tuesday night the Philadelphia 76ers (15-12) hosted the Sacramento Kings (14-12) at Wells Fargo Center. The Kings are in fifth place in the Western Conference playing some great basketball right now although they did lose their last game to the Knicks 112-99. Prior to that Sacramento beat the Cavaliers 106-95. The Kings just couldn’t hold on and lost by a big margin to the Sixers Tuesday night 123-103.

The Kings trailed at the end of the first quarter 39-32. They needed to make a push in the second and do their best to contain Joel Embiid who already had 16 points to start the quarter. Tobias Harris had shot for 15 points. Turnovers were hurting the Kings already with seven early in the second quarter.

Not a single King had double digits through the opening quarter. Philadelphia went on an 11-0 run early in the second quarter and extended their lead to 53-35. The Kings had a huge hole to dig out of. That hole continued to grow and at the half the Kings had given up 80 points in the first half. They trailed 80-55 in an absolute blow-out.

The Kings continued to trail through the third quarter. They just were not able to get on top of Philadelphia. Embiid continued his rampage shooting for 29 points through three while Harris and James Harden each had 17 points. The Kings did have a better quarter and a 17-7 run but the 76ers had a 101-83 lead after three.

The embarrassment continued through the fourth quarter. Poor shooting, poor defense, turnovers and barely a triple in sight, although they did hit a few more in the second half, was all Sacramento could manage. The game had turned into a glorified practice for the 76ers.

De’Aaron Fox just wasn’t on task only shooting for 13 points. Domantas Sabonis had the high score with 22. Malik Monk had 16 off the bench and Terence Davis had 12. The Kings just could not handle Embiid who finished with 31 points followed by Harris and Harden both with 21 points.

The Kings will continue on their road trip taking on the Toronto Raptors tomorrow. They will try to put this game behind them. Tipoff is schedule for 4:30 PM.

Knicks Randle and Barrett score 27 defeat Kings 112-99

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Sacramento Kings guard Matthew Dellavedova (8) drives to the basket against New York Knicks guard Immanuel Quickley (5) during the first half at Madison Square Garden in New York on Sun Dec 11, 2022 (AP News photo)

By Jessica Kwong

NEW YORK, NY. — The Sacramento Kings have shown promise in the first third of the season – but took a step back at Madison Square Garden on Sunday night, falling 112-99 to the New York Knicks.

Sacramento had their worst start in two dozen games to a sold-out crowd in New York City. They had an opportunity to turn the game around when Knicks star Julius Randle was ejected in the third quarter, but failed to rise to the occasion.

“Julius kind of had his way with us. Big strong player and we didn’t execute anything, we talking about executing going into the game, so he got us on our heels,” said Kings head coach Mike Brown.

“You’ve got to give their whole team… the coaching staff to their players on down credit because they kicked my behind and all the other coaches and players in our locker room on the behind today.”

The Kings were ahead 9-8 but then allowed the Knicks to go on a 28-10 run. Sacramento trailed 36-22 at the end of the first quarter. The Knicks lead by as many as 19 points and ended the half ahead 66-50.

Domantas Sabonis and Harrison Barnes pulled their weight, but needed help from the rest of the team. Sacramento was 6 of 21 from the three-point line. Meanwhile, Randle had 27 points for the Knicks.

Sacramento made a decent push at the start of the second half and got within 11 points when Keegan Murray scored with 9:21 left in the third quarter. Randle was ejected with 3:35 left in the third after contesting a non-call and getting two technicals. That gave the Kings a chance to catch up and turn the game around, which they did not manage to do. Murray made a basket with 9:21 left in the third but the Knicks responded with the next six points.

Isiah Hartenstein made.a tip-in that boosted the Knicks to a game-high 21-point lead with less than two minutes left in the third. The Knicks lead 95-80 at the end of the third.

A free throw by Sabonis brought the Kings within 11 points with 1:41 left in the game. The Knicks won their fourth consecutive game for the first time since late March 2022.

Sabonis posted 17 double-doubles in 24 appearances this season. He tied Nikola Jakic for the lead in the NBA. The Kings were without De’Aaron Fox and Alex Len, who were out with injuries.

The Kings (14-11) continue their road trip to on Tuesday against the Philadelphia 76ers. Tip-off is at 4 p.m.

Kings Handle Cleveland 106-95; Barnes lead Sac with 20 pts

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Sacramento Kings forwards Trey Lyles, right, and KZ Okpala, second from left, fight for the rebound against Cleveland Cavaliers forward Cedi Osman, second from right, at Rocket Mortgage Field House in Cleveland on Fri Dec 9, 2022 (AP News photo)

Kings Handle Cleveland 106-95

By Barbara Mason

Friday night the Sacramento Kings (14-10) took on the Cleveland Cavaliers (16-10) at Rocket Mortgage Field House. The Kings were without De’Aaron Fox who has been dealing with right foot soreness for awhile now. He has not been right for a few games especially offensively. He will really benefit from some time off which will serve not only himself but the team better down the road.

Donovan Mitchell (out with a hamstring injury ) or Kevin Love for Cleveland so both team’s season leaders Mitchell and Fox missed Friday’s game. Mitchell had a monster game Tuesday night shooting for 43 points so he will be missed by Cleveland. The Kings moved fast on offense and created some key shots in their 106-95 win over the Cavaliers.

The Kings started Davion Mitchell, Kevin Huerter, Harrison Barnes, Keegan Murray and Domantas Sabonis. Defensive rebounding for Sacramento will play a huge role in this game.

The Kings came out fast in the first quarter taking a 24-11 lead with 3:00 left on the clock. The Kings Barnes and Murray were perfect from downtown. Murray hit four three’s and Barnes had 2 of 2. Sacramento also had 12 rebounds to Cleveland’s seven rebounds. The Kings led after the opening quarter 31-20. Sacramento had done exactly what they needed to do to start this game.

The Kings were able to hold a double digit lead minutes into the second quarter. That lead began to slip away with seven minutes left in the half, although, they held onto a 37-30 lead. The Kings started missing shots and turnovers played a role in the Cavalier surge. The Kings had scored 31 points in the first quarter and 18 in the second. The 15 point lead the Kings had held evaporated and at the half the two teams were tied at 49.

The third quarter remained close and at the finish, the Cavaliers held an 80-79 lead. The Kings continued to fight hard and going into the fourth quarter it became apparent that Sacramento had the ability to win this game. They had to clean up the turnovers and avoid forcing shots and continue to challenge Cleveland on every possession.

With under two minutes left in the game the Kings had taken back the lead 101-95. They fought hard blocking shots, drawing fouls and sinking three’s. Sacramento took a 103-95 lead with 35.4 ticks left on the game clock.

The Kings had a great offensive effort with Barnes the high score shooting for 20 points. Huerter had 19 and Murray and Sabonis each had 18 points. Sabonis also had an amazing 19 rebounds.

Caris Levert was the high for the Cavaliers with 22 points.

The Kings continue on this road trip traveling to New York to take on the Knicks Sunday afternoon. Tipoff is scheduled for 3:00 PM.

Sacramento Kings podcast with Jeremiah Salmonson: Kings continue road trip in Cleveland Friday

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Sacramento Kings guard Davion Mitchell (15) knocks the Ball away from Milwaukee Bucks guard Jrue Holiday (21) during the second half at Fiserv Arena in Milwaukee on Wed Dec 7, 2022 (photo by the Milwaukee Journal)

On the Kings podcast with Jeremiah:

#1 The Bucks outscored the Kings in both quarters in the first half. Milwaukee led after the opening quarter 34-29. They would extend their lead at the half leading 68-61.

#2 This game was tied at 25 with 4:12 left in the opening quarter but the Bucks began to turn things around for the 34-29 lead after one.

#3 An 8-0 run for Sacramento cut the Buck lead dramatically trailing 80-76 with under seven left in the third. After three quarters the Kings trailed by a mere three points 97-94. Fox had a great third quarter and had 13 points along with Huerter and Murray who each had 13 points for the game.

#4 The Kings got another double double from Sabonis. He finished with 23 points. Every starter had double digits with Barnes shooting for 20 points Monk finished with 16 points. 

#5 The Kings continue on this very tough road trip taking on the Cleveland Cavaliers Friday night. Tipoff is scheduled for 4:30 PM.

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