Category: Sacramento Kings

Disaster Avoided: Kings survive awful, third quarter, beat Wizards, 133-126

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By Morris Phillips

SACRAMENTO–Maintaining relevance as the NBA’s 17th best team with a record seven games below .500 with just 20 games left in a 82-game season isn’t easily attained, especially for the forgotten Kings, who haven’t been on the postseason landscape since 2006.

But the Kings’ stretch of 12 wins in 17 games has turned heads, not to mention stolen attention from Zion Williamson and the Pelicans, who are fashioning themselves as the NBA’s most intriguing, non-playoff team. So how do the Kings keep the buzz down the stretch?

Don’t take games–or quarters within games– off. Beating the Wizards on Tuesday pointed to what a disciplined feat that would be.

“Offensively we had ball movement, body movement, we played unselfishly. We came too soft in the third quarter, we lost the momentum, but we also have to be proud of the guys … to fight back, get momentum back and find a way to win,” said assistant coach Igor Kokoskov, who assumed head coaching duties when Luke Walton was ejected for the first time as Sacramento’s coach.

The Kings hovered above the clouds in a 76-point, first half that had the Wizards reeling. Then the Kings’ momentum and 27-point lead evaporates as Bradley Beal and the Wiz caught fire. Walton was dispatched after growing irate over a missed foul call on Cory Joseph. And the fourth quarter commenced with the Kings in need of an immediate response.

“We did a pretty good job of closing the game,” said De’Aaron Fox, who paced Sacramento with 31 points. “The third quarter was just bad for us all around. The other three quarters I think we played pretty well.”

In the good stretches, the Kings shared the ball, and attacked the basket as Kokosov noted. Seven Kings finished in double figures in scoring, and the team shot 56 percent from the floor. But NBA games are relentlessly competitive, and Washington–in keeping with their own playoff aspirations–made a run.

“In the second half, the coach lit a fire up under us and we came out to be the team we should have been the whole game,” said Beal, who scored 35 points, the 19th consecutive game he’s scored at least 25. “I think we got the message for sure.”

 

Kings over match Pistons 106-100 at Golden One; Fifth win in six games for Sactown

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seattletimes.com photo

By Jeremiah Salmonson

The Kings are back home. Following a solid 3-1 road trip for the Kings, they were set to return home for the next seven of eight games. The first matchup would be the Kings against the rebuilding Detroit Pistons. Tip-off was set for 3PM PST on Sunday at Golden 1 Center.

In the first half, it was truly a tale of two teams. The game started with the Pistons going on a 18-1 run to open the game.

At one point in the first the Kings would be down 21 points. Luke Walton pulled all the starters except Harrison Barnes during the meltdown looking for some sort of spark. A few minutes later he got that spark from Harry Giles.

Giles hustle and intensity not only got the Kings going but brought the Golden 1 Center crowd to life. The Kings roaring back to get within one point going into halftime. Unfortunately, Derrick Rose fell prey to an ankle injury after a missed jump shot. Rose was questionable to return the rest of the way. You hate to see an injury, but a big break for the Kings. The Kings headed into half down 51-50.

In the second half, the Kings came out strong. The Kings took their first lead of the game in the first possession of the third quarter and never looked back. The Kings took the lead and managed to hold on to win the first game back from a long road trip.

It wasn’t pretty, but the Kings were able to get the job done by a final of 106-100. For the Kings they were led in victory by De’Aaron Fox who managed to drop 23 points.

Following Fox was Buddy Hield who scored 19 points even on an off shooting night. Also, he might not show up in the scoring stats but Alex Len was maybe the most impactful of all in this game. Len finished with eight points, 13 rebounds, and five blocks. In defeat, the Pistons were led by Christian Wood who finished the game with 20 points and 12 rebounds.

The Kings will use a much needed day off at home before taking on the Washington Wizards on Tuesday night. Tip-off is set for 7PM PST.

Kings win 104-101 in Memphis to stay alive in the playoff race

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SacMem
Kings win in Memphis @NBC CA

by Charlie O. Mallonee @Espn1320

The Sacramento Kings were written off for dead just weeks ago. Marvin Bagley III has been sidelined with a midfoot sprain, and there is no timetable for his return. Richaun Holmes – who had been playing at a high level filling in for Bagley – has been out due to a shoulder injury, and there is no estimate for his return to the lineup.

Luke Walton felt he had to shake up his starting lineup in order to generate more offense. Buddy Hield was sent to the bench to become the sixth man and Bogdan Bogdanovic became a starter. To everyone’s amazement, that move worked and has paid big dividends.

The Kings also unloaded two expensive players that were not producing the way they had hoped. Trevor Ariza plus two other players were sent to Portland in exchange for Kent Bazemore and Anthony Tolliver. Bazemore had played for Luke Walton in Los Angeles and the coach had high hopes for him. Bazemore has been a productive addition coming off the bench for Sacramento.

Dewayne Dedmon – who had requested a trade – was shipped out to Atlanta for Jabri Parker and Alex Len. Parker is still working his way back from injury, but Len is starting to have an impact in the middle for SAC.

Just when it looked like the Kings had gone into a “wait until next year mode” – the team has surprised everyone by becoming a contender for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference.

A Big Win on Friday night

Nine days ago, the Kings beat the Memphis Grizzlies 129-125 in Sacramento. That win made everyone who covers the Kings feel like there was a glimmer of hope for Sacramento in the playoff picture. Everyone was afraid to say anything because the Kings have let the fans down so many times in the past.

Sacramento began a four-game road trip after that victory over the Grizzlies. The Kings won games in LA against the Clippers. They beat the Warriors in San Francisco. SAC came close to beating OKC on their homecourt.

The game on Friday night was the back end of a back-to-back set on the road – the toughest game for a road team to win. Memphis is desperately trying to hold on to the eighth and final playoff slot in the West. The odds were definitely against the Kings.

Game flow

The Grizzlies came out of the chute strong, and it looked like the Kings were in real trouble as they trailed 30-21 at the end of the first quarter.

Sacramento was able to shake off the cobwebs in the second period and began to dominate the game. They outscored Memphis 29-17 in the second. As the teams went to the locker rooms at halftime, the Kings held a 50-47 lead over the Grizzlies.

The Kings played well in the third quarter outscoring the Grizzlies 31-28 to take an 81-75 lead into the final 12 minutes.

Luke Walton always talks about how NBA games get close in the final six minutes of the game. Friday night was no different. The Grizzlies cut the Kings lead to just one point with 10.9 seconds to go in the game. Buddy Hield hit two key free throws to give Sacramento a three-point lead and the 104-101 win.

The Playoff Race get tighter

The Grizzlies have now lost five consecutive games and now have four teams breathing down their necks for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference.

The Kings record is now 25-34, and they are just three games out of the eighth and final playoff slot.

Kings top performers

De’Aaron Fox – who sat out the game in OKC with an abdominal strain – led the Kings scoring attack with 25 points and he added five assists.

Nemanja Bjelica was Sacramento’s top rebounder with 11 and made it a double-double game by scoring 13 points.

Harry Giles III had a huge game putting up 16 points and grabbing five rebounds.

Up next

The Kings return home to host the Detroit Pistons on Sunday at 3 PM.

 

31 point rallies in third and fourth quarters by Thunder set back Kings 112-108

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photo from newsday.com: Oklahoma City Thunder center Steven Adams (12) shoots between Sacramento Kings’ Harrison Barnes (40), Kent Bazemore (26), Buddy Hield (24) and Yogi Ferrell (3) during the first half of an NBA basketball game Thursday, Feb. 27, 2020, in Oklahoma City

By Jeremiah Salmonson

The Sacramento Kings were going into Oklahoma City feeling good. They were on a three-game winning streak and poised to compete against a surprisingly upstart Oklahoma City Thunder team. However, the Kings would be without starting guard De’Aaron Fox. Fox has been dealing with a myriad of nagging injuries and the abdominal discomfort held him out of action on Thursday night. The tip-off was set for 5 PM PST in Oklahoma City.

The first half went just the way the Kings wanted it. The Kings shot 47.8% from the field and a great 41.2% from deep. The Kings scored 27 in the first and 34 in the second compared to 25 and 25 respectively from the Thunder. The Kings would lead by 11 at 61-50 going into the half.

The Thunder scored 45.7% from the field in the first half shooting 35.3% from deep. The Kings received stellar play in the first half from Harry Giles as he scored 15 points in 12 minutes. The only issue is that Harry picked up three fouls in the half. Danillo Gallinari scored 12 points to lead the Thunder in the first half.

In the second half, things began to crumble. The King’s shot-making evaporated late in the third and the Thunder went on a long 13-0 run. The Kings kept the Thunder from taking a dominant lead but the 11 point lead they took into the second half was gone.

One of the worst aspects of this was what happened next. The Kings got themselves into the penalty in just over two minutes and that would prove to be the difference in the game. The Thunder scored 31 points in both the third and fourth quarters to down the Kings 112-108. The Kings scored 21 and 26 in the third and fourth quarters respectively which was not enough to overtake the resurgence of the Thunder.

Leading the way for the Thunder in victory was Danillo Gallinari who had 24 points followed by Shae Gilgeous-Alexander who had 20 points. For the Kings, Harrison Barnes led the way with 21 points followed by an outstanding performance by Harry Giles who finished with 19 points.

Up Next: The Kings fly to Memphis to take on the formidable but struggling Memphis Grizzlies tomorrow. Tip-off is set for 5 PM PST in Memphis.

Warriors offense falters fall to Kings 112-94

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from sfgate.com: Sacramento Kings’ Harrison Barnes (40) shoots over Golden State Warriors’ Kevon Looney, left, during the first half of an NBA basketball game Tuesday, Feb. 25, 2020, in San Francisco.

By Jerry Feitelberg

San Francisco- It was another tough night for the Warriors on Monday as they couldn’t make three-point shots. The Sacramento Kings could, and they won 112-94.

The Kings scored the first basket of the game and never relinquished the lead. The Warriors were trailing 9-8 when the Kings went on a 12-2 run to lead 21-10. The Warriors turned the ball over six times in the first period. As a result of the turnovers, the Kings put 10 points on the board. Sacramento led by eleven 33-22 to end the first quarter. The Warriors’ offense went to sleep to start the second period.

They scored a total of two points in the first five minutes of play.  Sacramento wasn’t much better. They scored seven. The rest of the period was fairly even. The first half ended with Sacramento leading 55-43. Andrew Wiggins led the Warriors with 14. Marquese Chriss had 13 points and five boards. Former Warrior Harrison Barnes paced the Kings with 16. Bogdan Bogdanovich had 11. As mentioned earlier, the W’s could not make a three. They were one-for- seventeen from behind the 3-point arc. Sacramento made six threes.

The Warriors offense woke up in the third quarter. The Warriors went on a 15-2 run to close within four 67-63. That was the last closest they would get. Sacramento regrouped and finished the third period leading 81-73. The Kings’ three-point sharpshooter, Buddy Hield, hit three threes in a row to start the quarter. The Kings now led by 17. The Warriors’ Damion Lee finally knocked down some threes. He connected three times in the second half to keep the W’s within range. However, they could not catch the Kings.  Sacramento beat the Warriors for the third time this year, 112-94.

Game Notes and Stats- The big news of the night was that Steph Curry will return to action Sunday night when the Warriors travel to Phoenix to play the Suns.

Sacramento won for the ninth time in the last 13 games to improve to 24-33. The Kings have improved and are within 4 games of the Memphis Grizzlies for the eighth seed in the Western Conference. The Warriors dropped to 12-46. They own the worst record in the NBA.

The Warriors head coach, without defensive stalwart Draymond Green, had another makeshift lineup. Many of his players had not spent a lot of time with each other on the court. They played hard, but the play was ragged. There were some bright spots. Marquese Chriss finished with a double-double.

He finished with 22 points and 10 rebounds. Chriss left the game in the fourth quarter. He missed the last game with a strained calf, and he appeared to be hobbled by it Monday night. Andrew Wiggins had 16, Damion Lee had 16 and was 3-for-7 from three-point range. Jordan Poole had 13, Eric Paschall 12, and Ky Bowman 10. The W’s shot 44% from the floor. The W’s made 4 threes in 28 tries. Lee had three of the four. The Warriors bench tallied 18 points. Ky Bowman had 10 of the 18.

Sacramento won the game from the three-point line. They made 13 threes in 30 tries. The eight-shot difference accounted for 24 points, which were more than enough to secure the win for Sacramento. De’Aaron Fox led the Kings with 21. Barnes had 19, Bogdanovic 17, Hield 19, Harry Giles 13, Corey Joseph 11, and Kent Bazemore, another former Warrior, nine.

The Warriors host the Los Angeles Lakers Thursday night at the Chase Center. The game will start at 7:30 pm.

 

Kings Barnes leads with 21 points in 112-94 win over Golden State

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from sfgate.com: Sacramento Kings’ De’Aaron Fox, right, drives the ball past Golden State Warriors’ Ky Bowman (12) in the first half of an NBA basketball game Tuesday, Feb. 25, 2020, in San Francisco.

By Jeremiah Salmonson

The Sacramento Kings hadn’t lost since the All-Star break. Beating the Grizzlies and Clippers since the break, the Kings looked to continue that trend on Tuesday evening against the Golden State Warriors. The Kings were looking to make it three in a row after the break. The tip-off was set for 7:30 PM PST in San Francisco.

In the first half, the game panned out just like we were thinking it would. The Kings to an early 6-1 lead and didn’t look back. As the Warriors struggled from deep (1-17) the Kings managed a 50% field goal clip to take a 55-43 lead into the break.

The Kings solid offensive output was accompanied by only five turnovers for two Warrior points. On the defensive end, the Kings also put together a solid half that they could build off going forward. Leading the way for the Kings in the first half was the resurgent Harrison Barnes who put up 16 points. For the Warriors, Andrew Wiggins scored 14 points. The Kings looked to continue the strong performance in the second half.

In the second half, things got dicey in the third. The Warriors managed to come back to within just two possessions as the Kings were unable to hit shots. The Kings went from an 18 point lead early in the third to an eight-point lead when the third quarter was over. The Kings needed to regain their composure and finish off what had been a strong performance. The score was 81-73 Kings on top headed to the final session.

The Kings managed to get the game back under control in the fourth quarter. The Kings stopped the bleeding and managed to start hitting their shots again. The Kings would hold off the Warriors and win by a final of 112-94.

Leading the way for the victorious Kings was Harrison Barnes who scored 21 points along with Buddy Hield. The Kings also received a great performance from De’Aaron Fox who finished the night with 19 points. Leading the way for the Warriors in defeat was Marquese Chriss who scored 21 points. He was followed by Andrew Wiggins with 16 points.

Up Next: The Kings travel to Oklahoma City to take on the Thunder on Thursday at 5 PM PST.

Headline Sports with Barbara Mason: Kings go for three in a row tonight in San Francisco; A’s pitcher Fiers under threats gets through first game; plus more

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photo from sfgate.com: Oakland Athletics’ Mike Fiers smiles in the dugout during the second inning of a spring training baseball game against the San Francisco Giants, Sunday, Feb. 23, 2020, in Mesa, Ariz.

On Headline Sports with Barbara:

#1 The New Orleans Pelicans got a 14 point victory over the Golden State Warriors on Sunday night 115-111.

#2 The main attraction of the Pelicans came calling in Zion Williamson who is in his first two games with the Pelicans scored 30 points

#3 As pitcher Mike Fiers was served notice by several MLB players and fans threats of physical harm for outing the Houston Astros in the off season regarding the sign stealing scandal. Fiers was unscathed from those threats and pitched unscathed too throwing two innings of shutout ball on Sunday.

#4 The Sacramento Kings look like a club on the mend they’ve won two games in a row and had six players finish in double figures on Sunday against the Clippers

#5 The Kings are in San Francisco tonight against the Warriors talk about how you see this match up.

Join Barbara Mason for Headline Sports each Tuesday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Sacramento Kings podcast with Charlie O: Kings trying for three straight in San Francisco tonight

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photo from sacbee.com: Sacramento Kings’ Harry Giles III, center, dunks against the Los Angeles Clippers during the first half of an NBA basketball game Saturday, Feb. 22, 2020, in Los Angeles

On the Kings podcast with Charlie O:

#1 For the Kings (22-33) it’s two in a row after victories over the Grizzlies (28-27) and the Clippers (37-39), Kings head coach Luke Walton says defense gets it everytime

#2 In the game against the Clippers the Kings won it by nine 112-103 and on offense the Kings had six players with double figures

#3 Leading the way in scoring for the Kings was Kent Bazemore with 23 he’s certainly stepped it up to lead the club in scoring on Sunday

#4 The Clippers are a noted club that can out pace a lot of NBA teams talk about the Kings mindset going into that match was it mind over matter or just old fashion good ball distribution.

#5 The Kings head to Golden State for a Tuesday match up with the Warriors Charlie talks about this contest.

Charlie O does the Kings podcasts each Tuesday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

 

Kings win fifth game of last seven defeat Clippers in LA 112-103

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The Sacramento Kings Kent Bazemore (26) gestures after making a bucket against the Los Angeles Clippers at Staples Center Saturday afternoon (photo from ap)

By Jeremiah Salmonson

The Kings were coming off a solid performance against the Memphis Grizzlies. The Kings were able to beat the Grizzlies coming off of the All-Star break to start the home stretch off right. On Saturday, the Kings were looking to continue to good play against the LA Clippers at Staples Center for a 12:30 PM PST.

In the first half, it appeared both teams were on autopilot. Neither team really seemed to lock into a grove. However, the Kings consistent defense and enough offensive output led the Kings to a first half lead over the Clippers. The Kings, led by Kent Bazemore managed to build a 54-48 lead going into the half.

Leading the way for the Kings in the first half was Bazemore who managed to score 15 points. The Clippers received the largest contribution of the first half from Kawhi Leonard who scored 14 points. The Kings needed to keep up the defensive intensity in order to win the game.

In the second half, the Kings were able to keep it up in the early going. However, the Clippers managed to come back and take their first lead of the game midway through the fourth quarter. The Clippers had found a lineup in which they were able to score. The question would be who could continue their success and win the game. That would be the Sacramento Kings. The Kings were able to lock out the Clippers the rest of the way and win by a final of 112-103.

It was a great win for the Kings who received a tremendous performance from Kent Bazemore who scored 23 points with four steals and a block. The Kings are flying high on both needs of the floor. Beating the Clippers on the road could go a long way in how this team ends the season. It could help spark a surge.

Next: Kings travel to the Bay Area to take in the Warriors on Tuesday night.

Kings Engaged: Season may be slipping away, but 129-125 win over the Grizzlies sends the right messages

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By Morris Phillips

SACRAMENTO–The Kings might not be in position to catch the Grizzlies for the coveted, franchise-changing eighth spot in the Western Conference playoffs.

Along similar lines–and relevant to Thursday night’s post-All Star intro–rookie of the year candidate Ja Morant might not be ready to surpass Kings’ third-year guard De’Aaron Fox either.

The head-to-head matchup of future All-Star point guards went to decisively to Fox, who put up 26 points, four assists in leading the Kings to a 129-125 win over Memphis that turned into a nail biter in the final minutes. The reason for the late rush and the close finish? Morant had his hands on that with 15 of his 19 points in the fourth quarter, but ultimately Fox’s defense and Morant’s turnovers (5) swung the outcome for Sacramento.

“Every game is a must-win and (we) have to play each game like our back is against the wall if we want to make things interesting, and we can,” Buddy Hield said.

The win pulled the Kings within six games of Memphis with 27 contests remaining in the regular season. Complicating matters, and increasing the odds of a Kings’ resurgence is the presence of the Blazers, Spurs and Pelicans with records slightly better than the Kings. But when you’ve missed the playoffs for 14 years and running, you scratch and claw until your time runs out.

The Kings overcame a huge, size disparity against the Grizzlies with superior shooting and fewer mistakes. Sacramento was outrebounded 51-27 as they again were without Marvin Bagley and Richaun Holmes, as well as Dewayne Dedmon, who was traded to Atlanta. Harrison Barnes aided in the process with 32 points, including seven made 3-pointers, as well as Kent Bazemore, who contributed 18 points, but only needed 10 shots to get there.

With Barnes and Bazemore giving the Kings an early advantage, their defensive strategy to fall back into the paint and challenge Memphis’ shooters to make shots played out perfectly as starting guards Morant and Dillon Brooks missed all seven of their shots from distance, allowing the Kings to grab a 37-35 advantage after one quarter, which they built on by scoring the first nine points of the second.

But in a game of runs and swings, the Grizzlies got back into behind reserve guards De’Anthony Melton (24 points), Tyus Jones and Josh Jackson. Hield spearheaded Sacramento’s bench with 20 points, but the Kings were hampered by Jabari Parker’s debut, in which he appeared out of shape, no doubt a product of the former Duke player having played in just one game since Christmas.

The Kings are expected to give Parker and Alex Len–players acquired in the deadline deals–a look, but won’t hesitate to move on from either player. Len was unavailable Thursday, but could play as early as Saturday in Los Angeles against the Clippers.