Category: Sacramento Kings

Sacramento Kings podcast with Morris Phillips: Kings face an angry and hungry Heat club tonight in Miami

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It wasn’t pretty Miami Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra (left) and Jimmy Butler (22) were trying to get at each other but teammates stepped in between during game against the Golden State Warriors on Sun Mar 20, 2022 in Miami. The Heat host the Sacramento Kings tonight and Miami have lost four straight games thus far. (photo from the New York Post)

On the Kings podcast with Morris:

#1 Morris the Sacramento Kings (27-48) have shown a lot of improvement over their last three games winning two out of three. The Kings going into tonight’s game in Miami have defeated the Indiana Pacers and the Orlando Magic their getting key help from Davion Mitchell, Harrison Barnes and Donte DiVincenzo.

#2 This game tonight might be more of a challenge for the Kings as the Miami Heat (47-28) have lost four in a row and Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra and Jimmy Butler who verbally spared in a recent loss are angry and hungry for a win.

#3 The Kings have a 11-25 road record and are ninth in the Western Conference with 100.5 points. Like we said they have improved over their last three games nearly beating one of the best teams in the NBA. The Heat will be fired up tonight after losing four straight the Kings will need to be on their A game on both sides of the basketball tonight.

#4 The Heat took loses against the Philadelphia 76ers, Golden State Warriors, New York Knicks, and in their last game against the Brooklyn Nets. Looking at this this has to be shocking for a second place Eastern Conference team.

#5 The Kings Domantas Sabonis is out with a left knee which does not have any structural damage after going through an MRI last week. Sabonis is up for reevaluation this week. Morris they could use a guy like Sabonis in the line up tonight against the Heat.

Join Morris Phillips for the Sacramento Kings podcasts Mondays at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Kings Hold Off Magic In Overtime 114-110

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Orlando Magic guard Cole Anthony, right, gets fouled by Sacramento Kings guard Davion Mitchell at the Amway Center in Orlando Sat Mar 26, 2022 (AP News photo)

Kings Hold Off Magic In Overtime 114-110

By Barbara Mason

Saturday night the Sacramento Kings (27-48) took on the Orlando Magic (20-55) at Amway Center. Neither team is playoff bound. Orlando sits at the bottom of the Eastern Conference while the Kings are in 13th place in the Western Conference. The Kings made work of the Magic picking up their 27th win of the season with a 114-110 win on Saturday in overtime.

It is hard to believe that there are only eight games left in the season. In their last meeting back on Dec 8th in Sacramento the Kings came away with a 142-130 win. The Magic were slightly favored in this game playing at home.

The Kings are coming off a win against the Indiana Pacers in a close one 110-109 last Thursday. The high scorer in this game was Davion Mitchell who shot for 25 points and had 7 assists. The rookie has really been elevating his game since moving into the starting lineup last week.

He is averaging 26.5 points and eight assists in the last two games. In the Kings win over the Pacers seven players reached double digits. The team were relying heavily on Mitchell since De’Aaron Fox will not take the court tonight with a hand injury.

The Kings got a fast start in the first quarter taking a 41-28 lead, a high scoring quarter for Sacramento. The Magic started to turn things around in their favor outscoring the Kings 34-25 in the second quarter and at the half the Kings were holding onto a slim 66-62 lead.

Davion Mitchell was carrying the load in this game scoring 20 pts though three quarters. The Magic took a slim lead after three quarters 84-81. Franz Wagner and Mo Bamba were keeping Orlando in this game.

The Kings had to contain Wagner and Bamba going into the fourth quarter. Finishing games has been a problem for Sacramento this year and they need to finish this one if they hope to win. With five minutes left in the game the Magic held a slim 98-95 lead.

With 3:36 left in the game the Magic were making a move and the Kings were having trouble defending it. With the Magic continuing to lead 105-98 and 1:14 left in the game the Kings fought back and when the quarter came to an end the score was tied at 105 and they would go into overtime. The Kings had a second chance.

With 33.2 seconds left in overtime the score remained tied at 110. The Kings would take a 113-110 lead with 12 ticks left on the clock.

The Kings would hang onto this game and finish off the Magic in overtime. This was a gutsy performance by Sacramento with once again seven players scoring in double digits, Mitchell was the high with 22 points, nine assists and seven rebounds.

The Kings will next be facing the Eastern Conference leading Miami Heat. Tipoff Is scheduled for Monday at 4:30 PM.

Sacramento Kings podcast with Jeremiah Salmonson: Close win ends Kings three game loss streak over Pacers; Sac in Orlando Saturday

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Indiana Pacers guard Buddy Hield (24) passes the ball past Sacramento Kings guard Davion Mitchell (15) at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis on Wed Mar 23, 2022 (AP News photo)

On the Kings podcast with Jeremiah:

#1 Jeremiah, the Sacramento Kings (26-48) got a last second tip in by Damian Jones that just got the Kings over the hump and defeated their hosts the Indiana Pacers (25-48) 110-109 on Wednesday night in Indiana.

#2 The Kings Trey Miles took a three point shot but with just 0.2 seconds left on the clock that missed and Jones jumped and tipped in the shot for the winner. Jones and the Kings have played much improved basketball of late.

#3 The Kings had lost three straight game previous to coming to Indiana and Kings head coach Alvin Gentry says the Kings have struggling on the road and winning Wednesday’s game against the Pacers was important.

#4 Gentry said he knows what Jones can do on being aggressive on the boards and Jones had a great block and got the winning tip.

#5 The Orlando Magic (20-54) have been playing .500 ball of late winning four of their last eight they lost their last game Wednesday to the Oklahoma City Thunder (21-52) 118-102 but one thing about the Magic lately you just don’t know which team is going to show up. The Magic and Kings go at it Saturday night in Orlando.

Jeremiah does the Kings podcasts each Friday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Finding An Edge: Kings tip Pacers ahead of the final buzzer, and get the last word on the Haliburton trade

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By Morris Phillips

In a game featuring some spirited competition, and some intentioned, pointed side glances, no one was particularly interested in saying just how important getting a win was.

Well, one guy, Sacramento’s Damian Jones, who tipped in the game-winner with less than a second remaining, didn’t hesitate to say what was on his mind. After all, that is what winners do.

“It was good to see Tyrese and Buddy. It felt good to rub it in,” Jones said after the Kings robbed the Pacers 110-109 in Indianapolis.

In a match-up that featured players traded in the second-most discussed trade deadline deal, most notably the Pacers’ Tyrese Haliburton and Buddy Hield, the Kings got the last word with the win, even if they weren’t tremendously interested in exploiting the occasion by running their mouths.

“We’ve been struggling on the road,” Kings coach Alvin Gentry said. “Just to come and find a way to win a game on the road is really important to us. It makes a statement that these guys haven’t quit. They’re still battling and do the best they can to win games.”

Along with the win, the Kings got slightly worse positioning in the upcoming draft lottery, which has flattened its odds to the point neither team will notice the difference a month from now when the ping pong balls start cycling. But the speculation regarding which team made out best vis-a-vis to the trade starts now. And with Domantas Sabonis fashioning himself as a double-double machine while rookie Davion Mitchell has more than adequately replaced Haliburton in the Sacramento lineup, the Kings aren’t looking like suckers for moving their dynamic, second-year player from Iowa State.

For one, the Kings are no longer last defensively in points allowed, the Rockets are. And the Kings’ defense was noticeable in the fourth quarter Wednesday, when they held the Pacers to 20 points. And no pointing fingers, but Haliburton missed the Pacers final shot attempt with 37 seconds left which would have put them up five. Then Hield fumbled the ball out of bounds with 14 seconds remaining, opening the door for the Kings.

This time the Kings saw the open door and walked right in. Down 109-108, the Kings saw Trey Lyles miss a 3 attempt with a couple seconds left only to see Jones tap in the careening basketball just ahead of the final horn.

“I missed a layup. Buddy had a bad turnover in the full court, obviously,” Haliburton said. “I thought we were in position to win. We just didn’t execute down the stretch.”

That the Kings had to show some grit late to secure just their tenth road victory in 35 outings wasn’t surprising. But their hot shooting first was. Without Sabonis and leading scorer De’Aaron Fox, both out with injuries, the Kings couldn’t miss, shooting 72 percent in the first quarter, and still above 61 percent at halftime, when they led 66-61.

Sacramento Kings podcast with Morris Phillips: Kings gave it their all in overtime loss to Suns on Sunday

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The Phoenix Suns Landry Shamet takes a three point shot against the Sacramento Kings in the overtime stanza for what would be the game winner at Golden One Arena in Sacramento on Sun Mar 20, 2022 (AP News photo)

On the Sacramento Kings podcast with Morris:

#1 Morris at one time during Sunday’s game against the Phoenix Suns (58-14) the Sacramento Kings (25-48) had a ten point lead in third period but with a whole fourth period left the Suns came back out scoring the Kings 27-23 to force a tie and go into overtime.

#2 The Suns Devin Booker fouled out of the game and that handicapped the Suns slightly and the Kings who tied things up at the end of the fourth period 124-124 looked as if they might have a shot at beating one of the best teams in the NBA.

#3 With 31 seconds left the Suns Landry Shamet hit a three pointer in the overtime stanza after missing an previous shot above the arc and the three pointer by Shamet proved to be the game winner.

#4 The Kings in their own right were short handed missing their key offensive star point guard De’Aaron Fox as Davion Mitchell started for Fox and scored 28 points and Domantas Sabonis had 18 points great effort tough loss for Sacramento.

#5 The Kings will tip off against the Indiana Pacers on Wednesday night at 4:00 pm PDT. The Pacers have won four of their last six games including a 129-98 win against the Portland Trailblazers on Sunday afternoon in Indianapolis. On the other hand the Kings have now lost six of their last seven games and Sunday’s game against the Suns could actually have been one of their best despite losing.

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

Suns overtake Kings 127-124 in OT

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Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker (1) is fouled by Sacramento Kings forward Trey Lyles (41) in the second half at the Golden One Arena Sacramento on Sun Mar 21, 2022 (AP News photo)  

By Daniel Dullum
Sunday, March 20, 2022

The Phoenix Suns continued their winning ways Sunday at Golden 1 Center, squeaking out a 127-124 overtime win over the Sacramento Kings. Sacramento has lost 10 of its last 13 games.

Landry Shamet sank a 3-pointer with 31 seconds left in the extra period to put the league-leading Suns ahead to stay. Moments earlier, Damien Jones converted a put back to give Sacramento a 121-120 lead shortly after the Suns’ Devin Booker fouled out.

It was Shamet’s fifth 3-pointer of the game. He finished with 21 points, followed by Deandre Ayton with 12 points and 10 rebounds. Backup center JaVale contributed 14 points before fouling out in overtime.

After Mikal Bridges sank the second of two free throws, Jones made 1 of 2 from the stripe, Aaron Holiday got the rebound on the second free throw and Torrey Craig’s dunk sealed the game for Phoenix.

Booker’s jump shot put Phoenix ahead 110-108 with eight seconds remaining in the fourth quarter, but a layup by Davion Mitchell forced overtime.

Booker scored 19 of his 31 points in the third quarter as the Suns improved to 58-14, nine games ahead of Memphis in the overall NBA standings. There’s been a lot of pressure on Booker to pick up the slack while Chris Paul is sidelined with a broken right thumb, and sixth-man Cam Johnson is sidelined with a right quad contusion.

The Suns were also without backup point guard Cam Payne due to a non-COVID-19 illness, And Jae Crowder left the game with a right foot injury in the third quarter.

Mitchell had 28 points and nine assists for Sacramento while filling in for the injured De’Aaron Fox. Domantas Sabois added 18 points, 12 rebounds and six assists before leaving the game with a possible left knee injury.

The Kings travel to Indiana to face the Pacers on Wednesday.

Celts blowout Kings 126-97; Tatum leads with 32 in Boston victory

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Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum (0) is defended by Sacramento Kings forward Harrison Barnes (40) at the Golden One Center in Sacramento on Fri Mar 18, 2022 (AP News photo)

By Jeremiah Salmonson

SACRAMENTO–The Sacramento Kings were back in action on Friday night at Golden One Center. The Kings were welcoming in the Boston Celtics. The last game the Kings played was on Wednesday against the Milwaukee Bucks.

The Kings lost to the Bucks and go no relief with another top-ranked NBA team coming into town on Friday. On Friday, the Kings lost to the Celtics in blowout fashion 126-97.

In the first quarter, the game went back and forth. The Celtics started the game off hot. The Celtics scored the first nine points in the first quarter. The Kings then came back to tie the game, but it was not long-lasting.

The Celtics then went on another run of their own to outscore the Kings 32-26 in the first quarter. It was a shaky first quarter for the Kings that would look to tighten up the defensive going forward in the game.

In the second quarter, the Celtics took over the game on the Kings. Jason Tatum and Jaylen Brown went off in a massive second-quarter for the Celtics. The Kings we outscored by 35-22 in what was an embarrassing quarter.

However, you have to give the Celtics credit where credit is due. The duo of Jason Tatum and Jaylen Brown proved impossible to overcome.

The Kings were doing their best to stay in the game but the firepower of the Celtics was proving unbeatable in a game without De’Aaron Fox. The Kings would look to improve in the second half down 67-48.

In the third quarter, the Kings showed some life. The Kings scored 31 points in the third quarter to make a bit of a comeback push. On the other hand, the Celtics scored only 25 points to let the Kings inch a bit closer. Could the Kings continue their good play to make a comeback on the Boston Celtics? The Kings went into the final quarter down 92-79.

In the fourth quarter, the Kings showed fight early but were ultimately unable to mount much of a comeback on the Celtics. The Celtics outscored the Kings 34-18 in the final quarter to win the game by the final 126-97.

It was an ugly ending for the Kings in a game they didn’t have much hope of winning from the jump. The Celtics were led by Jason Tatum who finished with 32 points followed by Jaylen Brown who scored 30.

On the Kings side, Domantas Sabonis played a great game going for 30 points, 20 rebounds, and five assists. It was a great performance from the big man that unfortunately will go overshadowed by the Celtics blowout. The Kings will look to turn the page in their next game.

Up Next: The Kings stay home to take on the Phoenix Suns on Sunday at 3 PM PST at Golden One Center.

Sacramento Kings podcast with Jeremiah Salmonson: Kings need to shutdown Celtics offense tonight to have a chance

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Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (34) is fouled by Sacramento Kings forward Trey Lyles (41) at the Golden One Center in Sacramento on Wed Mar 16, 2022

On the Kings podcast with Jeremiah:

#1 Jeremiah, it’s like you were saying in your column after Wednesday night’s game that the Milwaukee Bucks (44-26) Giannis Antetokounmpo was just too much for the Sacramento Kings (25-46) to handle.

#2 The Kings certainly looked a lot different than Monday night when they lead the visiting Chicago Bulls from wire to wire. With the Bucks there was very wiggle room to try and get the lead.

#3 All night Giannis and Kris Middleton proved too much for the Kings to overcome. Giannis scored 36 points followed by Kris Middleton who dropped 32 in the contest.

#4 For the Kings, Domantas Sabonis scored 22 points followed by De’Aaron Fox with 21 points. The Kings had six players in double figures in the loss.

#5 Tonight the Kings will try and get some that traction back from Monday night as they host the Boston Celtics are hot they have won six of their last seven games. They beat Golden State on Wednesday night 110-88. The Kings who played the Bucks Wednesday night in high scoring game will they have their hands full trying to defend the Celtics tonight?

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

Giannis, Bucks just too much for Kings 135-126

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Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (34) takes the ball up the floor against the Sacramento Kings on Wed Mar 16, 2022 at Golden One Center in Sacramento (photo from AP News)

By Jeremiah Salmonson

SACRAMENTO–The Sacramento Kings (25-46) were back in town on Wednesday night to take on the Milwaukee Bucks (44-26) at Golden One Center. The Kings last played on Monday night against the Chicago Bulls and beat them 112-103. On Wednesday, in what appeared to be a lopsided challenge, the Bucks beat the Kings 135-126.

In the first quarter, the Kings put up a surprisingly good start to the game. The Kings managed to start the offense on a high note scoring 31 points in the first quarter. On the other hand, the Bucks also put up a decent first quarter.

The Bucks scored 28 points in the first to keep the Kings within reach. Neither team played great defense in the first as it looked like they both came out with a focus on the offensive side of the ball.

In the second quarter, the Kings took a big lead early. However, the Bucks would come back and make the game close again as the second quarter came to a close. The Bucks ended up outscoring the Kings in the second quarter 40-30 to take a lead into halftime.

The Kings defense crumbled in the second quarter as the Bucks took advantage. Kris Middleton had a big first half leading the Bucks in scoring with 17.

Giannis trailed just behind him in points with 14. For the Kings, they received their best first-half contribution from Domantis Sabonis who had 13 points. The Kings would look to keep the game close or come back in the third quarter. The Kings went into halftime down 68-61.

In the third, the Kings continued to lose ground. The Kings were outscored by the Bucks 33-31 in the third to dig their hole a little bit deeper. The Kings couldn’t stop Giannis and the Bucks as they continued to have their way on the Kings defense. The Kings would end up down 101-92 heading into the final quarter of action. Could the Kings come back?

In the fourth quarter, the Kings weren’t able to mount a full comeback. The Kings put up a fight but ultimately fell to the Bucks 135-126 at Golden One Center. The Kings battled in the fourth all the way to within a few points of taking the lead.

The Kings and Bucks both scored 34 points in the fourth. All night Giannis and Kris Middleton proved too much for the Kings to overcome. Giannis scored 36 points followed by Kris Middleton who dropped 32 in the contest. For the Kings, Domantas Sabonis scored 22 points followed by De’Aaron Fox with 21 points. The Kings had six players in double figures in the loss.

Up Next: The Kings will stay home to take on the Boston Celtics on Friday at 7 PM PST in Sacramento.

Shots On Target: Efficient Kings build a big lead and hold on, beat the Bulls 112-103

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By Morris Phillips

SACRAMENTO–The crowd showed up, and the Kings showed out.

If any NBA team needs circumstances to be just right from available players, a representative start to the early evening sunset bestowing sufficient daylight within the Golden 1 Center, it’s the Kings.

On Monday, the circumstances were right and the Bulls were made to pay, in a 112-103 loss to the Kings.

Sacramento built a 20-point halftime lead by hitting 3’s and going near perfect from the free throw line, and held on, surviving a Bulls’ 12-0 run in the fourth quarter to break a four-game losing streak.

De’Aaron Fox led the Kings with 34 points, six rebounds and six assists, capped by a pair of made free throws in the game’s final minute that increased Sacramento’s lead to 110-103 with 36 seconds left.

“De’Aaron is playing so well right now and he’s doing an extremely good job of controlling the game,” coach Alvin Gentry said. “Night in and night out what he is doing for us is amazing. He’s playing as well as anybody in the league if you go back over the last month or so.”

Domantas Sabonis returned from a two-game absence and added 22 points, seven rebounds while keeping Bulls center Nikola Vucevic to similar numbers (23 points, 10 rebounds). That virtual draw at the center spot allowed the Kings to fully benefit from off-shooting games from Demar DeRozan and Zach LaVine.

The dangerous backcourt duo for the Bulls shot 15 of 35 which dragged the visitors shooting from the floor to 41 percent. The Kings far more efficient shooting numbers–including 10 for 25 shooting from distance–spelled the difference in a game driven by each team’s surges offensively.

Bulls 12-0 run down 90-89 with 8:17 remaining after DeRozan FT’s.