Category: Sacramento Kings

Gentry loses first game at the helm Kings bow to Sixers 102-94; Sac loses 8th out of last 9

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Philadelphia 76ers guard Tyrese Maxey (0) is on the move against Sacramento Kings guard Matisse Thybulle (22) at the Golden One Center in Sacramento on Mon Nov 22, 2021 (AP News photo)

By Jeremiah Salmonson

SACRAMENTO–The Sacramento Kings (6-12) were back in action on Monday night. The Kings, fresh off the dismissal of head coach Luke Walton were set to take on the Philadelphia 76ers (10-8). In case you missed the news, the Kings fired head coach Luke Walton on Sunday. After careful consideration, Kings GM Monte Mcnair decided to fire the coach of the Kings after two-plus seasons at the helm. Walton had a turbulent tenure in Sacramento.

Former Kings GM Vlade Divac hired Walton to replace Dave Joerger in a surprise move two seasons ago. With current GM Monte McNair in place, you had to feel it almost inevitable that the Kings would make a head coaching change. Especially with the Kings struggling.

Alvin Gentry replaced Luke Walton as interim head coach. The transition should be simple for Gentry as he was already on the Kings bench as an assistant and is a veteran head coach in the NBA. On Monday night, the Kings succumbed to the 76ers 102-94 at home.

Monday Night Recap: The Kings welcomed the Philadelphia 76ers into Golden One Center on Monday at 7 PM PST.In the first half, the Kings and 76ers went back and forth. Neither team delivered a dominant performance in the first half of play.

The Kings shot 43.6% from the field in the first half as they tallied a 33.3% from deep. The 76ers shot 45.5% from the field and managed 37.5% from behind the arc. The 7ers shot slightly better than the Kings, but it wasn’t enough to pull away much from the Kings.

The Kings were outscored by the 76ers 55-52 in the first half as they played their first game in recent memory without Luke Walton. The Kings would have some work to do in the second half if they wanted to take down the 76ers.

Buddy Hield led the way for the Kings in the first half, who scored 16 points, 14 of which came in the first quarter. Tyrese Maxey scored 12 points in the first half to help put the 76ers in the lead going into the half.

In the second half, there was hope the Kings could come out with the victory. However, a win wasn’t in the cards for the Kings after the final buzzer sounded. Nevertheless, the Kings did put up a fight. The Kings hung tough until the last minutes of the game when the 76ers began to pull away.

The Kings outscored the 76ers in the third quarter 30-22 as the Kings mounted a rally. However, the Kings faltered down the stretch in the fourth quarter. The 76ers outscored the anemic Kings offense in the final quarter 25-12 to take home the victory 102-94.

It wasn’t a pretty ending for the Kings as they couldn’t make shots in the fourth quarter to save their lives. Another glaring weakness for the Kings late with the mismatch of Richaun Holmes and Andre Drummond.

Drummond amassed 23 rebounds in the game compared to Holmes, who had eight. Leading the way for the Kings in defeat was De’Aaron Fox, who scored 23 points on 7-15 shooting. Tyrese Maxey led the 76ers in scoring with 24 points on 8-22 shooting.

On Monday night, the Kings had a new head coach but the same old issues on the court. Only time will tell if the coaching change will improve the Kings in the long term. The Kings fell to 6-12 on the season.

Up Next: The Kings stay home to take on the Portland Trail Blazers on Wednesday at 7 PM PST in Sacramento.

Kings Part Ways With Luke Walton; Gentry takes over as interim coach

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Sacramento Kings former head coach Luke Walton yells in vain to his defense to try and shut down the Toronto Raptors offense on Fri Nov 19th at the Golden One Center in Sacramento Walton’s last night as head coach was Sat Nov 20, 2021 against the Utah Jazz (AP News photo)

Kings Part Ways With Luke Walton

By Barbara Mason

It’s been a long time coming and now the Kings have come to the decision that they need to move in a different direction and it does not include Head Coach Luke Walton. His firing has been brewing for quite awhile now but the fact that the team has lost seven of their last eight games was the straw that broke the camel’s back. It was just not working and hasn’t worked for awhile. His position as Head Coach has been precarious at best and now it’s finished.

Both De’Aaron Fox and Tyrese Haliburton expressed that they had Luke Walton’s back through this rough patch. “I got his back, we all do,” said Haliburton. “He’s put a lot of time and a lot of trust in us as players.,” he added. And so it would seem that he is liked by his players but the bottom line in the NBA is winning and the Kings are having a lot of trouble doing that lately.

If you look over Walton’s tenure with the Kings he has a 68-93 record and his former team sits at No. 12 in the Western Conference with a 6-11 record. Sacramento has not reached the playoffs since 2006. So with this firing Walton has moved on from a second team as head coach. The Lakers let him go after a 2016-19 stint. So it remains what the future holds for Luke Walton in the NBA in any position.

Sacramento needs a coach that can turn this team around and he would have some talented players to do just that. Right now the Kings have the tenth highest scoring offense in the NBA but they are giving up the 26th most points per game in the league. The defense has needed a lot of work for quite awhile now but there is definitely a lot of ability on this roster.

It is a shame because for a hot minute it looked like we were going to see an improved team this season but it all fell apart the past few weeks and management made their decision. Alvin Gentry has been named as interim head coach. Gentry’s first night as head coach will be Monday night against the Philadelphia 76ers at the Golden One Center in Sacramento. Sacramento Kings beat reporter Jeremiah Salmonson will have full coverage and a look on the coaching change Monday night.

Kings lose 7th out of last 8 games; Get blown out by Jazz 123-105 Sat night

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All too easy for the Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert (27) who scores against Sacramento Kings defense in first quarter action at Golden One Center in Sacramento on Sat Nov 20, 2021 (AP News photo)

By Jeremiah Salmonson

SACRAMENTO–The Sacramento Kings welcomed in the Utah Jazz (11-5) on Saturday night in Sacramento. For the Kings (6-11), it was the second night of a back-to-back. The first night of the back-to-back saw the Toronto Raptors come to town. The Kings had lost 6-7 entering play on Saturday night and were in desperate need of a spark to rejuvenate the dying season. On Saturday, the Kings were blown out by the score of 123-105. However, before we get into the action on Saturday, let’s take a look at the Kings last game.

Flashback Friday: In the first game of the back-to-back on Friday, the Kings did not play well. They took on the Toronto Raptors, and they were taken to School. The worst it got was at the end of the third quarter when it was 96-66 Raptors, and it looked like all life was gone from the Kings. It was one of their worst losses of the season at home. Kings fans were booing the home team at times throughout the game, and “Fire Luke Walton” chants were heard throughout the arena.

Saturday Night Recap: The Sacramento Kings welcomed the Utah Jazz to Golden One Center on Saturday night. The tip-off was set for 7 PM PST.

In the first quarter, both teams matched each other’s energy. Both teams came out with decent shooting and not a lot of defense. The Kings managed to score 28 points in the first quarter as the Utah Jazz dropped 29. The Kings came out with good energy in the first quarter, but the defense let them down when the offense seemed capable. They would look to tighten up the defense in the second quarter.

In the second quarter, it started rough for the Kings. The Kings ended up going down more than 10 points in the quarter as the Jazz were hitting shots and the Kings weren’t. At 4:25 left in the second quarter, the Kings found themselves down 48-36. However, to the Kings credit, they did not implode. Assisted by Utah turnovers, the Kings managed to stay within striking distance, narrowing the gap to 54-49, entering halftime. The Jazz outscored the Kings in the second quarter, 25-21.

In the third quarter, the Kings came out of the gates strong. By 7:41 left in the third, the Kings had tied the game, and Utah took a timeout with a score of 64-64. But, the questions remained, could the Kings close the quarter? Unfortunately, the answer to that question was no. The Kings didn’t implode, but they only outscored the Jazz 31-30 in the third quarter to take an 84-80 deficit into the fourth quarter. The Kings desperately needed to come back and win the game with a demanding schedule ahead of them.

In the fourth quarter, the Jazz went on a run. The Jazz opened a big lead on the Kings in opening minutes of the fourth quarter and never looked back. The Kings couldn’t keep pace with the powerful show from the Jazz as they were outscored 39-25 in the fourth quarter. The Kings would drop their seventh game in eight tries by the 123-105 and fall to 6-11 on the season. Leading the way in defeat for the Kings was Richaun Holmes who scored 22 points. The Jazz were led in victory by Donovan Mitchell who scored 26 points.

The Kings would need to do some real soul searching in the coming days and the uncertainty of Luke Walton’s job has never been more perilous. Again, for the second straight night, “Fire Luke Walton” chants could be heard towards the end of the blowout loss.

Up Next: The Kings stay home to take on the Philadelphia 76ers on Monday at 7 PM PST.

Raptors Siakam leads with 32 pts defeat Kings 108-89; Some fans cheer “fire Luke Walton”

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Toronto Raptors forward Pascal Siakam (43) dribbles by Sacramento Kings guard Tyrese Haliburton (0) Fri Nov 19, 2021 at Golden One Center in Sacramento (AP News photo)

By Jeremiah Salmonson

SACRAMENTO–The Sacramento Kings are back in Sacramento and they welcomed the Toronto Raptors on Friday night. The Kings embarked on a four-game road trip on November 9th and just returned home on Friday, November 19th back to Sacramento. The Kings trip saw them go 1-3 and make stops in San Antonio, Oklahoma City, Detroit, and Minneapolis.

It was a disappointing trip for the Kings who had a soft spot in their schedule for the first time all season. During the road trip Kings head coach, Luke was placed on the hot seat after losing the first two games as rumors swirled if he would make it back to Sacramento with a job.

After an up and down start to the season, the Kings were set to begin a crucial stretch at home. On Friday night, the Kings faced one of their worse losses of the season to the Raptors 108-89 at home.

Friday night recap: The Kings were set to take on the Toronto Raptors on Friday at 7 PM PST in Sacramento.

In the first quarter, neither team got off to a very impressive start. Both teams’ defense was lackluster and the offenses looked stagnant. Nonetheless, the Raptors outscored the Kings 30-27 in the first quarter. The Kings would need to pick up the pace and defense in the second quarter to keep the game close.

In the second quarter, the game began to unravel. The Kings defense evaporated and the Toronto Raptors started hitting their three-point shots. That was a recipe for disaster for a Kings team that hasn’t been able to get the offense on track for a while.

The Raptors topped 30 points in both quarters in the second half putting up 33 points in the second quarter. On the other hand, the Kings put up an anemic 18 points. The Kings weren’t playing defense and the offense wasn’t making shots.

That would lead the Kings to a 63-45 hole going into halftime. In an underwhelming first half for the Kings, they were led by De’Aaron Fox with 11 points. The Kings had a massive amount of ground to make up in the third quarter.

In the third quarter, it only got worse for the Kings. To put it into perspective, at a point in the third quarter faint “Fire Luke Walton” chants could be heard throughout the sections of Golden One Center. The Raptors absolutely destroyed the Kings in the third quarter by outscoring the Kings 33-21. It was almost a carbon copy of the results in the second quarter. The Kings went into the final 12 minutes of action down 96-66.

In the final quarter, the Kings showed some heart early on but it wasn’t nearly enough to overcome the deficit. The Kings outscored the Raptors 23-12 in the last quarter but ultimately fell to the Raptors by the final of 108-89. It was a poor effort from the Kings. From lack of enthusiasm to terrible execution, almost everything that could go wrong for the Kings did.

The Kings with the loss fell to 6-10 on the season. Leading the way for the Kings in defeat was De’Aaron Fox who scored 17 points. For the Raptors, they were led by a stellar performance from Pascal Siakam who scored 32 points.

Who knows what’s in the Kings future at this point. I sure don’t.

Up Next: The Kings stay home for the second night of a back-to-back to take on the Utah Jazz on Saturday night at 7 PM PST in Sacramento.

Sacramento Kings podcast with Jeremiah Salmonson: Kings hoping to bounce back after losing 5 out of last 6; host Toronto tonight

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Sacramento Kings guard De’Aaron Fox, right, tries force a loose ball from Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards at the Target Center in Minneapolis on Wed Nov 17, 2021 (AP News photo)

On the Kings podcast with Jeremiah:

#1 The Sacramento Kings (6-9) have lost five of their last six games and have fallen three games below .500. They lost to the Minnesota Timberwolves (5-9) 107-97 what has put the Kings off the track?

#2 The Kings De’Aaron Fox has stayed consistent leading the Kings in scoring Wednesday night with 28 points.

#3 The Kings defense had a hard time trying to defend the Timberwolves Anthony Williams who opened up in the fourth quarter scoring 16 of his 26 points in the final quarter to help Minnesota to a win.

4. The Kings Buddy Hield who scored 16 points off the bench and the Kings got 20 rebounds their most for the year but took a loss to the Timberwolves.

#5 The Toronto Raptors (7-8) have lost five of the last six games before facing the Utah Jazz on Thursday night. The Raptors who played in Portland on Monday night to a 118-113 loss to the Trailblazers (7-8) a five point loss. The Raptors tip off against the Kings tonight at Golden One set the stage for this one.

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

Edwards, Towns lead Wolves past Kings 107-97

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Sacramento Kings forward Harrison Barnes, left, tries to get a hook shot over Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards at the Target Center in Minneapolis on Wed Nov 17, 2021 (AP News photo)

By Daniel Dullum
Wed, November 17, 2021

Offensive firepower from Anthony Edwards and Ksrl-Anthony Towns, along with stingy defense, helped Minnesota defeat Sacramento 107-97 Wednesday night at Target Center in downtown Minneapolis.

It was the Kings’ fifth loss in their last six games.

Edwards scored 16 of his 26 points in the fourth quarter, and Towns added 22 points for the Timberwolves, who held the Kings to 36.6 percent shooting and forced 20 Sacramento turnovers.

Patrick Beverley added 14 points, six rebounds and six assists for the Wolves, who had lost eight of its last nine games. Edwards sank four 3-pointers in the fourth quarter, laading Minnesota to its third win in 10 home games.

De’Aaron Fox paced the Kings with a game-high 28 points, followed by Buddy Hield’s 16 points off the bench. Richaun Holmes added 12 points and seven rebounds.

Sacramento coach Luke Walton wanted better rebounding and got it – the Kings grabbed a season-high 20 offensive boards, 13 of them in the first half resulting in 16 second-chance points.

Though both teams struggled offensively in the first half, Minnesota surged ahead in the third quarter when Towns scored the first seven points of the third quarter, sparking a 10-2 Wolves run. From there, Minnesota hit 13-of-20 field goals, including 4-pf-7 from 3-point range.

Hield tried to keep the Kings in the game with four 3s to pull Sacramento within one early in the fourth quarter. But Edwards went on his fourth-quarter tear to help the Timberwolves pull away.

The Kings return home on Friday to host the Toronto Raptors.

Kings snap four game skid thrash Detroit 129-107

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The Detroit Pistons guard Josh Jackson (20) with the Sacramento Kings guard Buddy Hield (24) on his backside tries to get control of the basketball at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit on Mon Nov 15, 2021 (AP News photo)

Kings snap four game skid thrash Detroit 129-107

By Barbara Mason

The Sacramento Kings won a decisive game over the Detroit Pistons on Monday. Every starter for Sacramento shot double digits for a lop-sided win 129-107.

Monday night the Detroit Pistons (3-10) took on the Sacramento Kings (6-8) at Little Caesars Arena. The Pistons currently sit near the bottom of the Eastern Conference while the Kings are in eleventh place in the Western Conference.

The Pistons are struggling while the Kings are playing improved basketball over last season. Their leading scorer De’Aaron Fox has been consistently putting up good numbers and the team will be leaning on him in this game. The Kings are favored in this game as they try to work their way to a .500 record.

After the first quarter the Kings had taken a significant lead over Detroit 31-12. They got a quick start and never looked back.

In the second quarter the Kings put a real stranglehold on the Pistons and were leading 68-44 at the half. Everything was going right for Sacramento and the Pistons were really struggling. Fox scored 14 points in the first half followed by Tyrese Haliburton with 11 points.

The Kings got help off the bench with Buddy Hield scoring 11. The Pistons Saddiq Bey had 17 points in the half. In the first two quarters the Kings obliterated the Pistons and would try to take the same play into the second half to close out this game. The Pistons certainly had a huge deficit to contend with. Trailing by twenty-four points would be a major challenge for Detroit.

The Pistons made up a little ground in the third quarter but the Kings came roaring back and extended their lead. Going into the fourth quarter the Kings had opened up a thirty point lead and things were looking pretty bleak for Detroit.

The high score for Sacramento was off the bench. Buddy Hield shot for 22 points to cement the win for the Kings 129-107.

Wednesday night the Kings will continue their road trip taking on the Minnesota Timberwolves. Tipoff is slated for 5:00 PM.

Last-second layup by Thunder’s Dort sinks Kings 105-103

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Oklahoma City Thunder forward Luguentz Dort (5) tries to line up a shot against Sacramento Kings guard Buddy Hield (24) in the closing minutes in Oklahoma City on Fri Nov 12, 2021 (AP News photo)

By Daniel Dullum
Friday, November 12, 2021

A layup off a steal by Lu Dort with 1.7 seconds remaining gave Oklahoma City a 105-103 win over the Sacramento Kings Friday. It was the fourth win in a row for the Thunder.

The Thunder overcame an 18-point deficit to snag the win. Sacramento had the ball with 25 seconds to play, but Kings guard DeAaron Fox was stripped on an attempted crossover by Dort, who converted the steal into the go-ahead layup.

After the Kings (5-8) called a full time out following Dort’s go-ahead basket, Buddy Hield missed a 24-foot 3-pointer from the left wing as time expired.

Dort and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the Thunder (5-6) with 22 points apiece. Darius Bazley had 15 points (on 6-of-8 shooting), eight rebounds and two blocks, and Tre Marin scored 12 points off the OKC bench. Jeremiah Robinson-Earl grabbed 14 rebounds.

Harrison Barnes led Sacramento with 21 points, followed by Richaun Holmes and DeAaron Fox with 16 points each. Hield and Chimezie Metu each added 14 points for the Kings. Holmes added 15 rebounds and four blocks, Tristan Thompson grabbed 10 boards, and Tyrese Haliburton contributed eight rebounds, seven assists and eight points.

It was the fourth time this season that the Thunder overcame a deficit of 16 or more points this season.

The Kings’ road trip continues on Monday, when they visit the Detroit Pistons.

Sacramento Kings podcast with Jeremiah Salmonson: Kings try to snap three game skid in OKC tonight

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The Sacramento Kings guard De’Aaron Fox (5) tries to dribble to get inside on San Antonio Spurs guard Devin Vassell (24) on Wed Nov 10, 2021. Fox was was the high scorer for the game with 37 points and did the heavy lifting for the Kings it wasn’t enough as Sacramento went down to their third straight defeat at AT&T Arena in San Antonio. The Kings are in Oklahoma City tonight. (AP News photo)

On the Kings podcast with Jeremiah:

#1 Jeremiah the Sacramento Kings (5-7) who are suffering losing their last three games and got walloped by the San Antonio Spurs (4-7) on Wednesday night in San Antonio 136-117. After the Kings had that short run they are now facing the possibility of losing four straight on Thursday night in Oklahoma City.

#2 Dejounte Murray led the Spurs with 26 points Kings head coach Luke Walton knew that Dejounte was a force that had to be reckoned with and the Kings defense had trouble defending him.

#3 Jeremiah, despite scoring a season high 37 points the Kings De’Aaron Fox just couldn’t carry all that weight by himself and the Spurs defense pretty shutdown anyone else down in the Kings line up as the only other four Kings who scored in double figures fell short to get over the hump to catch the Spurs.

#4 The Spurs who had their own three game losing streak before Wednesday night’s game never let up on the Kings as Spurs head coach Gregg Poppovich was pushing the team hard not to drop this game.

#5 The Kings hope to turn the page tonight in Oklahoma City against the Thunder (4-6). The Thunder have won three straight games going into tonight’s contest. The Thunder defeated the New Orleans Pelicans (1-11) on Wednesday night 108-100 with the Thunder’s forward Luguentz Dort led with 27 points. Jeremiah tell us what do you expect from tonight’s contest as Kings head coach Luke Walton hopes to snap the skid tonight.

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

Spurs enjoy big offensive night, rout Kings 136-117

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The Sacramento Kings De’Aaron Fox (5) tries his best to shut down the San Antonio Spurs Dejounte Murray (5) driving at the AT&T Center in San Antonio on Wed Nov 10, 2021 (AP News photo)

By Daniel Dullum
Wednesday, November 10, 2021

San Antonio enjoyed a huge offensive night, with seven players in double-figures Wednesday, as the Spurs routed Sacramento 136-117 before a crowd of 15,065 at AT&T Center in San Antonio.

The Spurs enjoyed hot shooting from behind the arc, sinking 18-of-23 3-point attempts, including five by Devin Vassell and four by Doug McDermott. It was the Kings’ third straight loss.

Dejounte Murray led the Spurs with 26 points and seven assists, followed by 18 from Drew Eubanks. McDermott and Thaddeus Young scored 17 points each, with 15 points apiece from Vassell, Lonnie Walker IV and Bryn Forbes. Keldon Johnson added 12 rebounds, four assists, three steals and a block to go with eight points for the Spurs (4-7).

Overshadowed in the Spurs’ lop-sided win was the effort of Sacramento guard DeAaron Fox, who scored a game-high 37 points, along with six assists, three blocks and a steal. Davion Mitchell and Chimezie Metu each added 13 points off the bench, and Buddy Hield scored 12 points, Mitchell also had six assists, and center Richaun Holmes grabbed 12 rebounds.

San Antonio jumped to a 14-point lead after one quarter and built a 71-54 halftime advantage.

The Kings (5-7) opened the second half with a 9-2 run, but were unable to cut into San Antonio’s lead, as the Spurs maintained a 17-point lead going into the fourth quarter. A McDermott 3-pointer halted the Kings’ run, and San Antonio never looked back.

Sacramento continues its road trip on Friday, visiting Oklahoma City