Category: Sacramento Kings

Jazz Interpretation: Utah wins a close one at home, beats the Kings 119-113

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By Morris Phillips

If you’re the Sacramento Kings, now 15 seasons removed from a playoff appearance, a trip to Utah to face the Jazz, the reigning champions of the regular season, turned out to be a good place to start if postseason play is still the goal.

While the Kings fell short, and dropped to 3-4 on the season, they played well enough to disrupt a Jazz team that’s now won 58 of their previous 79 regular season games, easily the best mark in the NBA dating back to the beginning of the truncated ’19-’20 season.

The Kings came up empty in the game’s final five minutes, losing a back-and forth contest 119-113 in which neither team held a double-digit lead. The Kings effectively put the Jazz on their heels by limiting their trademark made threes, but ultimately couldn’t respond as the home team dominated the glass, and picked up their defensive intensity down the stretch.

Essentially, a 7-0 run by the Jazz decided it, after the Kings’ Richaun Holmes hit a short jumper to tie the game at 104. After a two-minute scoreless drought, the Kings trailed 111-104 with 2:27 remaining.

A key sequence in the deciding run was a foul on Utah’s Rudy Gobert that was challenged by the Jazz, and overturned upon video review. The ensuing jump ball saw Holmes whistled for a violation, which awarded the ball to the Jazz. Ten seconds later, Donovan Mitchell scored on a driving layup to put the home team up five. After a Holmes miss, Gobert capped the surge by the Jazz with a pair of made free throws.

Mitchell led the Jazz with 36 points, and Mike Conley contributed 30. The dynamic Utah backcourt combined for 25 made baskets including 11 threes. Bogdan Bogdanovich had 20 for Utah.

The Kings were led by Harrison Barnes with 23 points. Buddy Hield was next with 19 points off the bench, but he was hit with two technical fouls and ejected with less than a second remaining.

Davion Mitchell, the rookie, had 18 as seven of the eight Kings to see action scored in double figures. Still the initial NBA meeting of the D. Mitchells went to the veteran.

“He hit shots. He hit tough shots. You can’t really do anything about that,” said Davion Mitchell of Donovan Mitchell.

The Jazz enjoyed a 58-39 advantage on the glass. That disparity helped off set an unusually poor shooting night from distance for Utah, in which they missed 34 3-point attempts.

“I love the fight of our team,” Kings coach Bill Walton said. “It’s really fun coaching these guys. We’re learning these hard lessons. I hope we figure it out soon, but the details of the game is what’s costing us right now. Tonight, it was defensive rebounding.”

The Kings return home on Wednesday to face the New Orleans Pelicans, the start of a four-game home stand.

Kings hit .500 mark lose to Mavs 105-99; Third loss of the season

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The Sacramento Kings center Richaun Holmes bottom center can only watch as the Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Doncic takes it to the hoop while the Mavericks Dwight Powell watches from behind Holmes on Sun Oct 31, 2021 at Dallas (AP News photo)

The Sacramento Kings were back in action on Sunday afternoon in Dallas Texas. The Kings last played on Friday night against the Pelicans. Tip off for Sunday was set at 12:30 PM PST in Dallas against the Mavericks. However, before we dive into Sunday’s game let’s take a look back at Friday’s matchup.

Flashback Friday:

On Friday the Kings took on the the New Orleans Pelicans on the road. The Kings came into the game 2-2 and were looking to beat a team that was lacking the services of Zion Williamson. The Kings played a good overall game coming out on top 113-109. The Kings defense was inconsistent throughout the game but they managed to win the game.

Sunday Recap:

In the first half of Sundays game the first quarter specifically, it was rough for the Kings. The start of the game in the first quarter was a disaster for the Kings. The Kings got into an early 15 point deficit with 7:40 to play in the first. The Kings didn’t seem to come out with the intensity they needed to in the first quarter. The Mavericks outscored the Kings 31-22 in the first quarter,

In the second quarter, the Kings played much better. The Kings defense upped the pressure holding the Mavericks to only 22 points as the Kings offense put up 25 points. The Kings would still have to make up some ground in the second half down 53-47 at halftime.

In the third, the Kings played a solid quarter for the majority of the time. However, the last two minutes of the quarter the Kings completely melted down. The Kings had cut the Mavericks lead to three points until the Mavericks were able to go in a run to go up 10 points going into the final quarter. The Kings would be down 82-72 heading into the the fourth.

In the fourth quarter, it wasn’t the Kings day for a comeback. The Kings poor shooting continued and De’Aaron Fox wasn’t able to take over on offense as the Kings struggled to mount a comeback. The Kings did outscore and he Mavericks 27-23 in the fourth quarter but it wasn’t enough to overcome the deficit as the Kings lost 105-99.

The Kings didn’t have it on the offensive end of the floor on Sunday but did play well on defense overall. Leading the way for the victorious Mavericks was Luka Doncic who scored 23 points. The Kings were led in defeat by Richaun Holmes who had 22 points.

Up Next: The Kings will take on the Utah Jazz in Utah on Tuesday at 6PM PST.

Kings Edge New Orleans 113-109

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New Orleans Pelicans forward Brandon Ingram (14) and Sacramento Kings guard DeAaron Fox (5) battle for a rebound during first half action in New Orleans on Fri Oct 29, 2021 (AP News photo)

Kings Edge New Orleans 113-109

By Barbara Mason

De’Aaron Fox led the Kings to a victory over the New Orleans Pelicans Friday night winning 113-109. He had 23 points, 7 rebounds and 5 assists in a very close thriller.

The Sacramento Kings (3-2) took on the New Orleans Pelicans (1-5) at Smoothie King Center. The Kings were slightly favored in this match-up.

The Pelicans are still without Zion Williamson and are rapidly sinking without him. They have already lost four games this season and are ranked 27th in points per game (100.8).

While Sacramento is not a playoff team, they are not dealing with any injuries as well as coming off a great win against the Suns last Wednesday. They come into this game with momentum and confidence.

At the end of the first quarter the Kings were leading the Pelicans by the score of 33-26. De’Aaron Fox had 9 points in the quarter followed by Harrison Barnes with 7.

Although the Pelicans took a slim lead in the second quarter, they could not sustain it and at the half, the Kings had extended their lead 59-48. The big three for the Kings Fox, Barnes and Richaun Holmes all had double digits. The high in the first half for the Pelicans was Jonas Valanciunas with 11 points.

In the third quarter the Pelicans erased the Kings lead actually taking a three point lead with under three minutes left in the quarter. That lead was short-lived and after three quarter the Kings had a 77-72 in this hotly contested game.

The Kings were able to hold a significant lead through most of the fourth quarter. Although very close at times the Kings always answered when it was needed most. This game got uncomfortably close in the closing seconds for Sacramento but they kept their foot on the pedal for the win 113-109.

Richaun Holmes finished with 21 points, Harrison Barnes with 18 and Tyrese Haliburton with 17. Off the bench Buddy Hield had another great game scoring 20 points.

Sacramento Kings podcast with Jeremiah Salmonson: Kings coming off big win against Suns; Sac in New Orleans tonight

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The Sacramento Kings forward Harrison Barnes (40) drives on the Phoenix Suns guard Devon Booker (1) in the first half at the Footprint Center in Phoenix on Wed Oct 27, 2021 (AP News photo)

On the Kings podcast with Jeremiah:

#1 Jeremiah it was a big night for the Sacramento Kings (2-2) getting a victory over the Phoenix Suns (1-3) on Wednesday night 110-107 the Suns are no easy customer and winning in Phoenix is no easy task either.

#2 The Kings got a buzzer beater from Harrison Barnes who hit a three pointer for the three point victory for Barnes whose been in the league for sometime it had to be something special to get a win like that for Sacramento.

#3 Barnes also had a great night finishing second in scoring with 22 points with Buddy Hield finishing first with 26 points the Kings have been getting some great offense and have been involved in some close games.

#4 The Kings couldn’t stop the Suns Devon Booker who topped all scorers on Wednesday night with 31 points but the Kings were able to weather the Suns and were able to stay close and pull it off in the end.

#5 The Kings are in New Orleans tonight against the Pelicans (1-4). The Pelicans fell on hard luck in their last game against a very physical and great offensive Atlanta Hawks (3-1) team losing 102-99 in New Orleans. Jeremiah set the stage for this one as the Kings open a three game road trip starting tonight in New Orleans.

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

Barnes hits clutch 3-pointer as Kings edge Suns 110-107

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Sacramento Kings forward Harrison Barnes (0) jumps for joy and on the back of teammate guard Tyrese Haliburton (40) as D’Aaron Fox (5) smiles in the background after Barnes converts a three point game winning shot in the fourth quarter to defeat the Phoenix Suns on Wed Oct 27, 2021 in Phoenix (AP News photo)

By Daniel Dullum
Wednesday, October 27, 2021

Harrison Barnes canned a 3-pointer as time expired in the fourth quarter, thwarting a Phoenix comeback and giving the Sacramento Kings a 110-107 victory over the Suns Wednesday at Footprint Center in downtown Phoenix.

Buddy Hield led the Kings (2-2) with 26 points in 27 minutes off the bench, while Barnes finished with 22 points, four assists and nine rebounds. Hield 7 of 11 on 3-pointers.

De’Aaron Fox had 18 points and nine assists, Richaun Holmes was Sacramento’s top rebounder with 12 boards to go with 12 points, Tyrese Haliburton had 15 points and Alex Len – who played his first five NBA seasons with Phoenix – added 10 points for the Kings.

Devin Booker was the Suns’ top scorer with a season-high 31 points; he also had eight assists and six rebounds. Deandre Ayton finished with 21 points and 21 rebounds, Mikal Bridges had 15 points and Elfrid Payton and Jae Crowder each added 10 points for Phoenix.

After the Suns (1-3) led 61-53 at halftime, they went cold in the third quarter, while Sacramento heated up and took an 82-76 lead after three periods. The Kings used a 17-6 run to surge ahead.

Phoenix went on a 12-2 run late in the fourth quarter to tie the game at 107-107 on a Bridges dunk with 34 seconds to play, completing a rally to erase a 13-point Sacramento lead

The Suns came up with a defensive stop on the next possession, but Booker missed an 18-foot jumper with 1.4 seconds left. Fox then threw an inbounds pass to Barnes, who spotted up two feet behind the arc with Booker guarding him tightly. Barnes hit nothing but net as the horn sounded.

Phoenix, the defending Western Conference champions, finished the game 6 of 22 from 3-point range (27 percent).
The Kings’ road trip continues on Friday in New Orleans.

Levels To This Game: Kings still aren’t where the Warriors are now, lose 119-107

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By Morris Phillips

SACRAMENTO–At Golden 1 Center on Sunday night, the storylines didn’t budge much.

The Kings remain enamored with the Warriors’ style, the small lineups, relentless pace, 3-ball hunting and daring panache.

But the Kings haven’t quite poached their neighbor’s game to the extent needed to prevail.

That, and the Warriors still have Steph, Draymond along with emerging depth.

Golden State broke open a tight game with a 7-2 run to end the third quarter, then pulled away in the fourth, grabbing a 119-107 win over the Kings to stay undefeated.

After dropping their second home game to begin the season, the Kings are 1-2.

“We need to be better in the fourth quarter,” Kings’ coach Luke Walton said. “Part of the problem is we’re slowing the pace down. We have to get out and go.”

“We have to finish games,” said Davion Mitchell, who scored a career-best 22 points. “Throughout the game we have leads, (then) they go on their run and we have a lot of turnovers.”

The Kings were competitive for the first three quarters. Mitchell had 19 of his 22 during that stretch, and Harrison Barnes all of his 24 points, but they unraveled in the fourth, while committing 19 turnovers over the course of the game. Barnes was limited to one miss and three rebounds when he returned with 7:06 remaining, and the Kings trailing 102-98.

Stephen Curry (27 points, and his 500th career assist) and Jordan Poole (20 points) paced the Warriors’ attack, which put six players in double figures.

The Kings got 17 points from De’Aaron Fox, and 16 points and 11 rebounds from Richaun Holmes. Buddy Hield was limited to six points, missing nine of his 11 shots in 25 minutes on the floor.

The Kings matched the Warriors in assists (26 each), made more threes (15-13 edge), and they even mimicked their reduced-sized lineups, but the Warriors were just sharper. The visitors created more high-percentage shot attempts, and backed it up with 20 of 24 made free throws, they set more effective screens, and enjoyed a 12-0 edge in steals.

Draymond Green had a hand in all those areas, as did Otto Porter Jr. Green finished with 14 points, six rebounds, six assists, and Porter had five points, nine rebounds, three assists, three steals and a block in 24 minutes off the bench.

“We were rock solid with the ball,” coach Steve Kerr said. “We had multiple guys come in off the bench and play well.”

The Kings didn’t have anyone in their nine-man rotation struggle other than Hield with his shooting, but the playmaking from their guard quartet of Fox, Tyrese Haliburton, Hield and Mitchell was a mixed bag. The four tallied 22 assists, but committed 13 turnovers and the Kings were held to 19 points in the fourth.

Also, Walton wasn’t pleased that Warriors’ reserves ruled the first half of the fourth, and his team did little to stop it.

“You can’t do that, you can’t give Steph Curry and Draymond Green a six-point lead when they come back in the game. It just can’t happen,” Walton said. “We talked about it as a staff, as a team, really. But it’s one thing to talk about. It’s another thing to go out there and do it.”

Nemanja Bjelica, the former King, had the least effective game of his three thus far for the Warriors, missing all five of his shots in 10 minutes of action.

Sacramento opens a four-game road trip in Phoenix against the Suns on Wednesday night.

NHL Podcast with Matt Harrington: Pens Crosby trying to make comeback after wrist surgery; Knights Martinez out with undisclosed injury; plus more news

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The Pittsburgh Penguins Sid Crosby is trying to make a come back after having wrist surgery on Sep 8, 2021. He’s trying to return to morning skates and practices. (NHL.com file photo)

On the NHL podcast with Matt Harrington:

#1 Matt talk about how hampered the Pittsburgh Penguins are without someone like Sid Crosby in the line up. Crosby said he’s trying to come back from wrist surgery and has missed two morning skates and practices. Crosby had the surgery on Sep 8th from an injury that he got back on Mar 23, 2014.

#2 Matt talk about the Vegas Golden Knights Alec Martinez who is out with undisclosed injury. Martinez did not play on Friday against the Edmonton Oilers and got the injury during the third period against the St Louis Blues on Wednesday. The Knights did not disclose how long Martinez will be out. Also the Knights forward Mattias Janmark played his first game after coming off Covid 19 protocols.

#3 The Anaheim Ducks Max Jones is out from four to six months with a pectoral muscle injury. Jones who played in two games this season has no points in two games this season and Ducks general manager Bob Murray says it’s a tough blow for the team.

#4 The arena formerly known as the Key Arena now Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle will be open for business on Saturday night for the inaugural season for the Seattle Kraken as they host what could be their rivals the Vancouver Canucks. Matt, amongst the amenities a spacious dressing room, hanging scoreboards, and luxury suites. Should be a great venue for the new NHL team.

#5 The Edmonton Oilers have got off to a great start winning their first four games of the season and having the top three players in categories to lead the league, Conner McDavid with six goals and 11 points and Leon Draisaitl with six assists which explains why their off to such a great start.

Join Matt for the NHL podcasts each Saturday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

https://soundcloud.com/sports-radio-service/nhl-podcast-with-matt-harrington-sat-oct-23-2021

Jazz pull away from Kings late in fourth quarter for 110-101 win

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The Utah Jazz Donovan Mitchell (front) tries to out run and out gun Sacramento Kings Davion Mitchell (15) in first half action at the Golden One Center in Sacramento on Fri Oct 22, 2021 (AP News photo)

SACRAMENTO–The Sacramento Kings (1-1) on Wednesday night opened up the season on the road in Portland with a win. The Kings were excited to return home on Friday night to a packed Golden One Center crowd that hadn’t been allowed in the since March of 2020. The Kings opened the season on Wednesday pulling out a narrow victory 124-121 in the unfriendly confines in Portland.

The Kings were set to face the Utah Jazz (2-0) on Friday. Utah came into Friday’s matchup having played on Wednesday in Utah. They handily beat the OKC Thunder 107-86. The Kings took a tough loss on Friday night 110-101 for their first loss of the season.

First Half: The Kings played an up and down half.

The intensity in the first quarter was palpable as the Kings began putting on an offensive show for the home crowd. In the first quarter, the Kings outscored the Jazz 26-24 as Harrison Barnes led the way for the Kings in the first quarter as he scored 8 points.

It should be noted that the Jazz Joe Ingles was ejected after a flagrant two foul was assessed him on a foul against Davion Mitchell. The foul took the legs out from under Mitchell and so the penalty was handed down. The Kings would look to keep the defensive intensity up in the second quarter to keep the lead at halftime.

In the second quarter, the Kings offense stalled a bit. Thankfully for the Kings, the Jazz weren’t able to do much on the offensive end either. The Jazz only scored 22 points in the quarter as the Kings defense kept the pressure on the shooters of the Jazz.

On the other hand, the Kings managed to score 26 points to pull even further ahead of the Jazz heading into halftime. The Kings would take a 52-46 into halftime looking to seal things off in the second half. Leading the way for the Kings in the first half was Harrison Barnes who scored 12 points. Donovan Mitchell led the Jazz as he also scored 12 points.

Second Half: The Kings would come out with good energy in the second half.

In the third quarter, the Kings entered the quarter with good offensive and defensive intensity. However, as the quarter progressed the Kings would lose grip on the lead. The Jazz went on a run to end the quarter and managed to score 35 points compared to the Kings 28 points.

The Kings missed some rotations on defense and as a whole, the Jazz shot the ball much better. The Jazz took an 81-80 lead into the final quarter. The Kings would need to tighten up the defensive end and start hitting more shots to win the game.

In the fourth quarter, the teams traded baskets for the majority of the quarter. The Jazz went on a bit of a run to start followed by the Kings coming back and tying the game with 4:57 left in the game. The sequence was punctuated by a Tyrese Haliburton steal and dunk.

For the remainder of the game, the Jazz took over the momentum. The Jazz ended up scoring 29 points compared to the Kings 21. A careless turnover with under two minutes left desperately cost the Kings as it shifted the momentum fully to the Jazz who took advantage.

It was a strong effort from the Kings but ultimately the shooting of the Jazz down the stretch did the Kings in. Leading the way for the Kings in defeat was Harrison Barnes who scored 25 points closely followed by Buddy Hield who scored 24. The Jazz were treated to a 27 point game from Donovan Mitchell to lead the way in victory.

Up Next: The Kings will take on the Golden State Warriors on Sunday at 6 PM PST in Sacramento.

Sacramento Kings podcast with Jeremiah Salmonson: Kings home opener tonight at Golden One against Utah Jazz

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De’Aaron Fox (5) the Sacramento Kings guard drives past the Portland Trail Blazers Damian Lillard (0) on Wed Oct 20, 2021 at Moda Center in Portland (AP News photo)

On the Kings podcast with Jeremiah:

#1 Jeremiah, what else can you say about the Sacramento Kings they’re looking good they went 5-0 in pre season and won their opening night game on the road in Portland on Wednesday night 124-121.

#2 Four players finished in double figures top scorer Harrison Barnes topped the leaderboard with 36 points and was instrumental in the Kings offense.

#3 The Kings De’Aaron Fox 27 points and Richaun Holmes 21 points finished in second and third how important will they be for the Kings this season.

#4 It looks like head coach Luke Walton has this team prepared whether it was pre season or the regular season it’s early but the Kings are showing a lot of confidence.

#5 The Kings host the Utah Jazz tonight for the home opener at Golden One Center. The Jazz won their last game rather convincingly 107-86 Wednesday night in Utah. The Jazz top scorer you might remember Bojan Bogdanovic the former King who finished on top with 22 points. How do you see this match up tonight between the Jazz and Kings?

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

Kings edge Trail Blazers 124-121

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The Portland Trail Blazers guard Damion Lillard (0) tries to drive underneath the Sacramento Kings center Richaun Holmes during the first half on opening night at the Moda Center in Portland on Wed Oct 20, 2021 (AP News photo)

Kings Edge the Trail Blazers 124-121

By Barbara Mason

After a most successful pre-season the Sacramento Kings (1-0) took on the Portland Trail Blazers (0-1) on the road at Moda Center in Portland and picked up an opening night win 124-121 to start the regular season. In the pre-season the Kings beat the Phoenix Suns, the Clippers, the Trail Blazers and last Thursday beat the winless Los Angeles Lakers to finish an unblemished pre-season 4-0. They took that winning streak to start the 2021-22 season Wednesday night.

In the pre-season, the Kings De’Aaron Fox and Harrison Barnes had some great performances as well as Buddy Hield and Terence Davis off the bench; performances that they hope to take into the regular season.

Game recap: The first quarter in Portland saw the Kings with a narrow one point lead 23-24 as the clock ran out. De’Aaron Fox had high points in the quarter with ten. The one thing that hurt the Kings last season was their defense. They will be looking for a much improved defense to start the season.

The Kings led for much of the first half. After two quarters Sacramento lead by the score of 62-49. At the half De’Aaron Fox had shot for 16 points and off the bench Buddy Hield had nine points. CJ McCollum finished the first half with 14 points and Damian Lilliard had ten points. Going into the third quarter, the Kings will have to continue to keep the pressure on the Trail Blazers offensively and defensively.

Sacramento continued to apply pressure on both ends of the court in the third quarter. They led 100-85 as the quarter ended and Harrison Barnes really amped up shooting 26 points. Buddy Hield had 12 off the bench as the Kings really dominated the Trail Blazers in the quarter.

After trailing by as many as 17 points the Trail Blazers fought back to within three points with under three minutes left in the game. The Kings would pull it together and squeak out their first win of the season. Harrison Barnes and Buddy Hield both shot a couple of free throws to ice this game. It was a heartbreaker for the Trail Blazers after they made such a valiant comeback that just fell short.

Harrison Barnes finished with 36 points and De’Aaron Fox had 27. Buddy had 17 points off the bench. It was a great way to start off the season for the Kings.

The Kings will next take on the Utah Jazz Friday October 22 at Golden One Center in Sacramento the Kings home opener. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:00 PM.