Category: Sacramento Kings

Kings pick up second win in eight games; Defeat Thunder 113-103

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Sacramento Kings forward Harrison Barnes (40) guards Oklahoma City Thunder forward Darius Bazley (7) at the Golden One Center in Sacramento on Sat Feb 5, 2022 (AP News photo)

By Jeremiah Salmonson

SACRAMENTO–The Sacramento Kings (20-35) were back in action on Saturday after a day off on Friday. The Kings last played on Friday when they took on the Golden State Warriors. The Kings lost that game by the final of 126-114 as they struggled to contain the Warriors.

On Saturday, the Kings welcomed to Sacramento the Oklahoma City Thunder (17-35). Tip-off was set for 7 PM PST at Golden One Center. The Kings defeated the Thunder 113-103 at home.

In the first quarter, the Kings offense came out shooting. On the other hand, the defense didn’t look great. The Kings allowed the Thunder to score 30 points in the first quarter.

The Kings offense did enough work on the other hand though to take a first-quarter lead. The Kings outscored the Thunder 36-30 in the first to take the early lead. The Kings would look to build on that in the second quarter.

In the second quarter, the Kings played a solid quarter. They weren’t able to expand the lead much but they didn’t lose it either. The Kings outscored the Thunder 29-27 in the second quarter as the lead going into half expanded by one point.

The Kings went into the locker room up 64-57. Moe Harkless scored 16 points in the first half as did Harrison Barnes. Josh Giddey led the way for the Thunder scoring 11 points. The Kings would look to seal the deal in the second half.

In the third quarter, the Kings continued to be just a little bit better than the opposition. The Kings outscored the Thunder 25-22 in the third quarter. The Kings hadn’t really pulled away in the game but you could sense they were right on the brink of pulling away. Could the Kings pull away in the fourth quarter and seal the win? They led heading to the final 12 minutes 89-79.

In the final quarter, the Kings and Thunder played a very even quarter. The Kings and Thunder both scored 24 points in the fourth quarter. The Kings took advantage in the early minutes as the Thunder battled back in the later minutes. Ultimately the Kings would win the game 113-103. It was the Kings second win in a row at home.

The Kings were led by Harrison Barnes who scored 24 points. Josh Giddey for the Thunder scored 24 points in defeat as they fell to 17-35 on the season. The Kings record improved to 20-35 as they continue to push for a playoff spot.

Up Next: The Kings welcome in the Minnesota Timberwolves on Tuesday at 7 PM PST.

Sacramento Kings podcast with Jerry Feitelberg: Kings have lost seven of last eight games; Tip off with Thunder Friday night at Golden One

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Sacramento Kings guard Tyrese Haliburton dribbles the ball during the first quarter against the Golden State Warriors on Thu Feb 3, 2022 at Chase Center in San Francisco (AP News photo)

On the Kings podcast with Jerry F:

#1 The Sacramento Kings (19-32) Davion Mitchell replaced De’Aaron Fox in the lineup, and the rookie responded with a career-high 26 points Thursday night. 

#2 The Kings made the first bucket of the game to lead 2-0. It was the last time they would have the advantage.

#3 The Kings offense woke up and started to put points on the board at the half. Three players paced the Sacramento offense. Two of them were former Warriors, Harrison Barnes and Damion Jones. Davian Mitchell was hot, scoring ten points in the early going.

#4 Sacramento beat the Warriors 29-21 to get within 11 points of the lead. The Kings knew that they had a chance to pull off an upset as they started the third quarter.

#5 The Kings play the Oklahoma City Thunder who have lost three of their ten games head to Golden One Center in Sacramento on Sat Feb 5, 2022.

Jerry Feitelberg filled in for podcaster Jeremiah Salmonson for Kings podcasts each Friday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Kings shock Nets 121-101; Barnes leads with 19 points in victory; Win snaps Sac’s seven game losing streak

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Sacramento Kings guard Davion Mitchell (15) defends against Brooklyn Nets guard James Harden at Golden One Center in Sacramento on Wed Feb 2, 2022 (AP News photo)

By Jeremiah Salmonson

SACRAMENTO–The Sacramento Kings (19-34) were back in action on Wednesday night at Golden One Center. The Kings had last played on Monday in New York to face the Knicks. The Kings hadn’t won a game since January 14th against the Houston Rockets.

The Kings had lost seven straight games going into Wednesday night. The Kings would hope to change the tide on Wednesday as they welcomed the Brooklyn Nets (29-22) to town. The Kings played an up and down game but ultimately defeated the Nets 112-101.

The Kings were set to take on the Brooklyn Nets on Wednesday night at 7 PM PST.

In the first quarter, the Kings did not play very well. They came out sloppy and appeared very lethargic on the defensive end of the floor. The Nets came out in the first and scored 32 points in the first quarter as the offense got off to a quick start.

The Kings only managed to put up 23 points for the Kings as they fell into an early hole in the first quarter. The Kings turned the ball over four times in the first quarter, which would not be a recipe for success the rest of the way.

In the second quarter, the Kings continued not to play very well. The Kings defense didn’t have an answer for the Nets offense. The Nets scored another 30 points in the second to hold onto their lead. The Kings managed to outscore the Nets by scoring 31 points of their own, but it wasn’t enough to mount a comeback.

The Kings would go into halftime down 62-54 and needed to turn the tide in the second half. The Kings were led in the first half by Harrison Barnes, who had 12 points. Nic Claxton scored 17 for the Nets to guide them in the first quarter.

In the third quarter, the Kings mounted a bit of a comeback on the Nets. The Kings entered the quarter down eight points and managed to cut that to three points after the thrid. The Kings scored 29 points in the quarter compared to the Nets 24.

It was the first quarter in the game that the Kings managed to outscore the Nets. The Kings would go into the final quarter of the game trailing the Nets 86-83. Could the Kings finish the comeback in the final 12 minutes?

In the fourth quarter, it was all Kings! The Kings blew out the Nets in the final quarter of the game by outscoring them 29-15. The Kings won the game and beat the mighty Brooklyn Nets 112-101. Granted, the Nets were without star Kevin Durant but they did have a healthy Kyrie Irving and James Harden.

The Kings held James Harden to only four points in 37 minutes of action. Nic Claxton led the way for the Nets in defeat scoring 23 points. The Kings best performance came from Harrison Barnes who had 19 points. The Kings had seven players in double figures. The Kings snapped their seven game losing streak improving to 19-34 on the season.

Up Next: The Kings travel to San Francisco to take on the Warriors on Thursday at 7 PM PST.

Knicks take out Kings 116-96 at MSG for Sac’s 7th straight loss

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The Sacramento Kings forward Louis King (23) and guard Buddy Hield (24) almost looks as if to say what’s the use as the New York Knicks RJ Barrett (9) lays one in at Madison Square Garden on Mon Jan 31, 2022 (AP News photo)

By Jessica Kwong

The Sacramento Kings (18-34) ended their five-game road trip at Madison Square Garden with their seventh straight loss, 116-96 to the New York Knicks (24-27) on Monday night.

Sacramento was without their best player, De’Aaron Fox, due to a sore ankle and trailed most of the game.

New York led for the last 43 minutes of the game and by double digits during the whole second half. Going into the final quarter, the Knicks had an 18-point lead.

The Kings’ leading scorers in the blowout loss were Tyrese Haliburton with 21 points and eight assists, and Davion Mitchell with 18 points.

Fox has been out since January 19 and missed four games. Still, Kings coach Alvin Gentry said the team is not worried about the point guard’s absence in the long term.

“I think that he is feeling much better,” Gentry said. “But until he feels that everything is there and that he can make the cuts laterally, we aren’t going to put him out there right now. But I am not concerned.”

Meanwhile, the Knicks snapped their three-game losing streak. Alec Burks and Evan Fournier scored 21 points each, and Julius Randle contributed 17 points and nine rebounds.

Gentry, who coached Randle with the New Orleans Pelicans, had some words about him

“I think he’s a better player,” Gentry said. “And he was a very good player for us. He was outstanding for us, really. I think he’s slowed himself down a little bit. Now I know he’s struggling a bit right now but it’s never because of effort.

Gentry added that Randle hasn’t shot the ball as well as in the past.

“But the way he attacks the basket, and his ability to handle the ball in the open court and create plays are all things he was starting to do when he was in New Orleans and I think he’s much, much better at it right now,” he said.

The Kings (18-34) return home to host the Brooklyn Nets on Wednesday. Tip-off is at 7pm.

—

Embiid leads 76ers in 103-101 comeback win over Kings

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The Philadelphia 76ers Joel Embiid can do it all on his back passes the ball between Sacramento Kings defenders Damian Jones (30) and Buddy Hield (24) at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia as the Kings go down to their sixth straight loss on Sat Jan 29, 2022 (AP News photo)

by Marko Ukalovic

PHILADELPHIA — It was another second half collapse by Cap City.

Joel Embiid scored 23 of his 36 points in the second half as he sparked the Philadelphia 76ers to a 103-101 comeback win over the Sacramento Kings on Saturday evening at the Wells Fargo Center.

Sacramento has lost six games in a row and anchor the basement of the Pacific Division. Philadelpha has caught fire as they have won four games in a row and five of their last six. They have overtaken the Brooklyn Nets for first place in the Atlantic Division with a one-game lead.

Harrison Barnes started out hot with 10 points in the first quarter. Tobias Harris paced the 76ers with nine points as the Kings led 31-27 after the opening quarter.

The Kings took advantage of eight turnovers by the 76ers in the first quarter.

Sacramento (18-33) took control of the second quarter with a 15-3 run. They led 61-46 with 1:38 left in the quarter before the home team closed out the quarter with the final four points as the Kings cruised into halftime up by 11 points.

The Kings had their biggest lead at 70-55 in the third quarter as the outscored the 76ers 15-4 in the first five minutes.

Philadelphia (30-19) slowly chipped away as they outscored Sacramento 26-13 to end the third quarter as they cut the Kings lead to 83-81 to start the fourth quarter.

The 76ers went on a 9-0 run in less than two minutes to grab their first lead of the game when Andre Drummond’s layup gave Philly an 88-87 lead with 8:56 left in the fourth quarter.

Embiid scored seven points in a two-minute stretch to give the 76ers their biggest lead at 103-93 with 2:28 remaining.

Sacramento’s Tyrese Haliburton scored eight of his game high 38 points in the final two minutes to bring the Kings within two points. A five-second violation by Philadelphia with 11.1 second left gave the Kings a final chance to win or send the game into overtime.

However, the 76ers defense stood its ground defensively as they forced Barnes into a desperation three-point attempt at the buzzer that missed way off the mark to seal the Kings fate.

Philadelphia outscored Sacramento 53-40 in the second half.

Barnes finished with 16 points and Donovan Mitchell chipped in 15 points for Sacramento. The Kings bench didn’t help their cause with only 16 points total for the game.

Harris finished with 16 points and Tyrese Maxey chipped in 15.

GAME NOTES: Sacramento finished 12-for-35 from beyond the arc. Philadelphia was 12-for-30.

UP NEXT: Sacramento finishes their five-game road trip on Monday 1/31 against the New York Knicks at 4:30pm at Madison Square Garden.

Sacramento Kings podcast with Morris Phillips: Kings enter 76ers lair in Philadelphia and try to end five game skid

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Los Angeles Lakers’ Anthony Davis, left, tried to get one over against the Philadelphia 76ers’ Joel Embiid, right, at the Wells Fargo Center on Thu Jan 27, 2022. The Sixers will host the Sacramento Kings on Sat Jan 29, 2022 in Philadelphia (AP News photo)

On the Sacramento Kings podcast with Morris Phillips for Jeremiah Salmonson:

#1 It’s been a tough road for the Sacramento Kings (18-32) as they face off with the Philadelphia 76ers (29-19) on Saturday night at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia. The Kings have lost five straight games. I know it’s a tough task but Kings head coach Alvin Gentry can only try and motivate the team to try and get this one Saturday to end the streak?

#2 The two last games for the Kings were barnburners for the Boston Celtics and Atlanta Hawks. The Kings lost to the Celtics 125-75 on Tuesday and another loss to the Hawks on Wednesday night 121-104 neither were close games.

#3 On Wednesday night it was announced before the game in Atlanta that Kings guard Terence Davis had injured his right wrist on Tuesday night against the Celtics at TD Garden when he fell hard on the wrist, Davis has been listed as out with the injury indefinitely.

#4 On offense for the Kings on Wednesday night Harrison Barnes had 28 points and Davion Mitchell had 20 points were the two leading scorers but it just wasn’t enough to catch the Hawks.

#5 The Kings now tip off with the Philadelphia 76ers on Saturday night. The 76ers no doubt a worthy opponent have won seven of their last ten games and defeated the Lakers last night 105-87. The Sixers Joel Embiid was the top scorer with 26 points do you see the Kings having their hands full on Saturday night?

Morris Phillips was filling in for Jeremiah who took the day off join Jeremiah Fridays for all the Kings podcasts at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Sacramento Kings podcast with Tony Renteria: Davis out with wrist injury for Kings; Kings head to Philadelphia against Sixers Saturday

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Detroit Pistons guard Cory Joseph (18) drives to the basket as Sacramento Kings guard Terence Davis (3) on Wed Jan 19th at the Golden One Center in Sacramento. The Kings announced on Wed Jan 26, 2022 that Davis will be out indefinitely with right wrist injury (AP News photo)

On the Kings podcast with Tony R:

#1 Big loss for the Sacramento Kings (18-32) as they announced after Wednesday night’s game against the Atlanta Hawks that Kings guard Terence Davis will be out indefinitely with a injured right wrist. Kings head coach Alvin Gentry says the Kings medical staff are exploring all kinds of treatments to get Davis back in the line up.

#2 It was in Boston when Davis took a hard fall test revealed that Davis had damaged tendons and they’ll miss Davis out of the line up whose been averaging 10 points for the Kings.

#3 Tony the Kings are on a five game losing streak after loses to such teams as the Houston Rockets, Detroit Pistons, Milwaukee Bucks, Boston Celtics, and Atlanta Hawks, tough teams with nothing else for the Kings to do but to play them and see what the outcome will be.

#4 Former King Bogdan Bogdanovic scored 18 points and came off a knee injury and  Onyeka Okongwu also came off the bench and scored 18 points after the Hawks had a slow start against the Kings on Wednesday night to surpass and get a substantial win.

#5 The Kings face the Philadelphia 76ers (28-19) on Sat Jan 29th at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia. The Sixers have won seven out of their last ten games and the Kings are trying to snap a five game losing streak. It’s a tall order for the Kings as they face the 76ers on Saturday.

Join Tony Renteria each Thursday for the Kings podcast at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Kings Drop Fifth In a Row To Atlanta 121-104

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Atlanta Hawks guard Bogdan Bogdanovic (13) drives against Sacramento Kings guard Buddy Hield (24) at State Farm Arena in Atlanta on Wed Jan 26, 2022 (AP News photo)

Kings Drop Fifth In a Row To Atlanta 121-104

By Barbara Mason

Wednesday night the Sacramento Kings (18-32) took on the Hawks (22-25) in Atlanta at State Farm Arena. Lately the Hawks have making some noise winning four games in a row and are just a single game behind the Washington Wizards for the 10th seed in the Eastern Conference.

The Kings come into this game after getting pummeled by the Boston Celtics Tuesday night by the score of 128-75. Losing by 53 points this was the second worst loss in any NBA season by any team.

Between the loss that the Kings just suffered and the high level that the Hawks are playing at especially on defense this could be a huge challenge for the Kings. They need to put the Celtic game behind them and look forward to Wednesday’s game, it was not to be for the Kings who lost again for their fifth straight game this time to the Hawks 121-104.

The Kings had a nice first quarter leading 33-21 but it all came crashing down on them in the second quarter. The twelve point lead they held in the first quarter was gobbled up by the ferocious shooting of the Hawks.

That coupled with shutting down the Kings offense gave the Hawks the lead at half-time 67-50. The Hawks won the second quarter 46-17. The Kings had led by twelve after one quarter and then trailed the Hawks by 29 points in the second quarter. That was a huge point swing and the second half looked especially ominous for Sacramento.

The Kings were still without De”Aaron Fox but despite that, the Kings were being outplayed by Atlanta. Sacramento is going downhill at a rapid clip and there doesn’t really seem to be much they can do about it. They could be headed for their fifth loss in a row tonight.

The Kings got close in the third quarter but with such a steep deficit it was a tall order to try and catch the Hawks. Sacramento trailed 94-74 going into the fourth quarter.

The Kings had a very competitive second half but it is so tough to reside behind the eight ball that was the first half.

Harrison Barnes led the Kings with 28 points. The Hawks leading scorers were Bogdan Bogdanovic and Onyeka Okongwu both with 18 points.

This fifth loss for the Kings continues their downward spiral that seems to have no end. They desperately need De”Aaron Fox back on the court and hopefully his return will be sooner rather than later.

Saturday night the Kings are back at it taking on the 76ers in Philadelphia. Tipoff is scheduled for 4:30 PM.

Shamrock Shakedown: Kings fleeced from the opening tip, lose 128-75 to the Celtics

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By Morris Phillips

Down 60 to the Celtics, the Kings rallied to lose by 53.

It’s a story lead that NBA sportswriters get one opportunity in a career to utilize. Think about it. When’s the last time you saw one of the league’s 30 franchises completely disappear from the scoreboard?

December 2. Okay, that night, the emerging Memphis Grizzlies eviscerated the COVID-decimated Thunder, 152-79, which ranks as the biggest blowout in the 75-year history of the league.

But the Kings’ ragged outing at TD Garden in which coach Alvin Gentry said “we basically got our ass kicked,” now ranks as the 25th most lopsided margin of defeat in NBA history. That’s undeniably distinctive… in a negative sense.

“They made shots, we couldn’t make nothing,” Richaun Holmes conceded. “They didn’t have much resistance from us so it was just an old-fashioned whooping.” 

Jaylen Brown scored 15 of his 30 points for the Celtics in the first quarter, which topped the Kings, who trailed 38-13. The margin grew to 33 at halftime, 42 points after three, and briefly hit 60 in the fourth as the Boston reserves took on the appearance of the Harlem Globetrotters.

The Kings were without De’Aaron Fox and elected not to play center Alex Len, but that left them with their other 13 most significant producers who shot 30 percent from the floor and 18 percent from three. Effort, or lack thereof, played a huge role in the thrashing as the Celtics enjoyed a 67-45 advantage on the glass, and every concession was made to insure the Celtics had access to the best available scoring opportunities. The Kings allowed 56 points in the paint, and 17 offensive rebounds to contribute to that cause.

“We had very little ball movement, very low assists and they were able to force us into some tough shots because we were always on the shot clock,” Gentry said.

Josh Richardson needed far less analysis to explain the Celtics’ abundance of easy baskets, which officially produced just 12 fast break points.

“I mean, first the Kings had a tough shooting night,” Richardson said. “I think that’s part of it.”

Actually a big part.

The win is the Celtics second biggest by point margin in their long, winning history. The Kings have actually had three, worse losses in the Sacramento era. The worst was a 150-91 drubbing by the Run TMC Warriors in 1991. They also lost to the Bucks by 56 in 1985, and by 55 to the Suns in April 1989.

The Kings fell to 18-31 on the season, and they’re as many as three games out of the coveted 10th spot in the Western Conference for the first time this season. They’ve dropped 17 of 24, with a game at Atlanta up next on Wednesday night.

Kings lose third in a row to Bucks 133-127

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Milwaukee Bucks forward Khris Middleton, right, takes a shot against Sacramento Kings center Richaun Holmes at Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee on Sat Jan 22, 2022 (AP News photo)

Kings Lose Third In A Row To Bucks 133-127

By Barbara Mason

Flashback Wednesday: After losing a very disappointing game Wednesday against the Detroit Pistons, the Sacramento Kings (18-30) traveled to Milwaukee to take on the Bucks (30-19). The Kings led in the Piston game by nine points with 2:34 left on the clock.

In the NBA two and a half minutes is a lot of time however the Kings did not score a single point for the rest of the game and the Pistons took full advantage. The Kings had two turnovers, three missed shots and a foul in those final two minutes. They needed to finish the game and they were unable too. This has been a problem for the Kings this year, finishing games.

Saturday night in Milwaukee: On Saturday night the Kings face a huge challenge taking on the fourth place Bucks at Fiserv Forum. They will have Tyrese Haliburton back on the court for this game a plus for Sacramento. There is bad news as well because De’Aaron Fox has been ruled out with an ankle injury. This is a tough loss for Sacramento, losing their leading scorer.

The Kings had a nice start winning the first quarter 35-27. Their lead did not last very long and mid-way through the second quarter the Bucks heated up taking the lead. At the half the Bucks led 62-54. Harrison Barnes led the shooting for the Kings with 14 points in the first half. He was the only King in double digits so far in the game.

The Bucks took their second quarter momentum into the third quarter extending their lead by as much as 15 points. The Kings would cut that deficit in half trailing after three quarters 94-86. Milwaukee’s Chris Middleton and Jrue Holiday led the Bucks in scoring, Middleton with 20 and Holiday with 18.

The Kings continued to hang around and got to within three points with under two minutes left in the game. That was as close as Sacramento would get losing their third game in a row 133-127.

The Kings got some great play from their starters. Harrison Barnes finished with 29 point, Tyrese Haliburton with 24, and Terence Davis had 22. All of their starters had double digits.

Tuesday the Kings will be playing the Boston Celtics at TD Garden. Tipoff is scheduled for 4:30 PM PT.