Category: Sacramento Kings

Doncic and Prozingis lead the Mavs to a 130-111 win over the Kings in “Big D”

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by Charlie O. Mallonee

The Sacramento Kings wanted to close out their short two-game road trip on a high note by handing the Dallas Mavericks (33-22) a loss on their homecourt heading into the All-Star Break. The Kings (21-33) knew they would have a big task on their hands because All-Starter Luka Doncic was going to make his return to the lineup after missing the previous seven games due to an ankle injury.

The Doncic Factor

For the rest of his career, Luka Doncic will always be tied to the Sacramento Kings in a bad way. Almost everyone associated with the NBA expected the Kings to draft Doncic because of his Euro pedigree and the Euro leanings of the Sacramento front office. When that did not happen, most experts and analysts were shocked. Now that Doncic is on the verge of becoming a real superstar, the decision to pass Doncic in the draft has become magnified.

Every Doncic success will be viewed as a Sacramento failure because they could have drafted Luka with their number two pick in 2018. Doncic will start the All-Star game on Sunday and he could have done that as a Sacramento King.

On Tuesday night, Doncic was the leading scorer in the game putting up 33 points to go along with 12 rebounds and eight assists.

Some will say that Doncic will always be in the mood to punish the Kings. Do not believe that rubbish. Doncic does not care about the Kings. He is very happy playing for billionaire Mark Cuban in Dallas who will spend whatever is necessary to put the players around him to win an NBA Championship.

Lack of defense

The Kings allowed the Mavericks to score at least 30 points in all four quarters of the game on Wednesday night. They allowed Dallas to shoot 56.5% from the field in the game. The Mavs hit 17 of 40 (42.5%) of their 3-point attempts.

A team like Dallas cannot be defeated when their opponent fails to show up on defense.

Top Scorers

  • Doncic was the game’s leading scorer while Kristaps Prozingis also had a double-double game with 27 points and 13 rebounds plus he added five assists
  • Buddy Hield was the Kings leading scorer coming off the bench to put up 22 points to go along with nine assists

The Glass Cleaners

  • Prozingis was the game’s leading rebounder with 13
  • Hield, Barnes and Bjelica all pulled down seven rebounds each for SAC

Dropping Dimes

  • Buddy Hield was the game’s assists leader with his nine dimes
  • Luca Doncic led Dallas with eight

Up next

The Kings will return to play on Thursday, February 20 when they will host the Memphis Grizzlies.

The Mavericks will return to action on February 21 in Orlando.

Sacramento Kings podcast with Charlie O: Kings battle but Bucks just too much; Kings in Dallas Thursday

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image from: KHTK 1140 Sacramento

On the Kings podcast with Charlie O:

#1 The Milwaukee Bucks (46-7) left little doubt in their win over the Sacramento Kings (21-32) in the 123-111 win on Monday night.

#2 The Kings did give the Bucks a challenge in the second and third periods

#3 The Kings Harrison Barnes led with 23 points part of the reason why the Kings got the offensive help they needed in those second and third quarters

#4 The Bucks Eric Bledsoe was unstoppable with 28 points to lead the Bucks.

#5 It’s off to Dallas and Mark Cuban and the Mavericks how do you see the Kings coming out of this game they have been giving some of their opponents some tough games of late.

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

The Kings run out of gas in the fourth quarter and lose in Milwaukee 123-111

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by Charlie O. Mallonee

The Kings entered the game on Monday night in Milwaukee with high hopes. The Bucks superstar – Giannis Antetokounmpo – was ruled out the game because he wanted to be with his new-born son (who we all expect to be the number one overall draft selection in 2038). Without “the freak” on the floor, the Kings knew they had at least a fighting chance versus the powerful Bucks.

The Kings (21-32) fell behind early, and it looked like it might be a walkover game for Milwaukee (46-7) even without Giannis. At the end of the first quarter, the Bucks held 38-24 lead.

Sacramento rebounded in the second quarter. The Kings outscored the Bucks 34-19 in the second period behind the 13 point barrage by Harrison Barnes. Barnes went 4-for-4 from the floor with all three of his 3-point attempts finding their mark. He also converted both of his free throw attempts. The Kings went to the locker room at halftime with a 58-57 lead.

The two teams went into an epic battle in the third quarter and went toe to toe. The Kings outscored the Bucks 32-31 in the quarter and held a 90-88 advantage at the end of 36 minutes.

The Bucks started the final quarter with a 13-0 run and never looked back. Milwaukee went on to outscore the Kings 35-21 in the fourth quarter as they fell 12 points short when the final buzzer sounded.

Top scorers

  • Khris Middleton and Eric Bledsoe were the leading scorers in the game scoring 28 points each
  • Harrison Barnes was the Kings top scorer with 23 points

The Glass Cleaners

  • Bucks All-Star Khris Middleton made it a double-double game by pulling down 11 rebounds
  • De’Aaron Fox and Nemanja Bjelica grabbed eight rebounds each for the Kings

Dropping Dimes

  • De’Aaron Fox was the game’s assist leader with 11 which gave him a double-double game
  • Khris Middleton and Eric Bledsoe dropped eight dimes each for the Bucks

Up next

The Kings will be back in action on Wednesday night in Dallas.

The Bucks will travel to Indianapolis to play the Pacers on Wednesday night.

Buddy Can’t Miss From Deep, Kings Down Spurs 122-104

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photo from sacbee.com: Sacramento Kings guard Buddy Hield (24) trots back for defense after scoring a three-pointer against the San Antonio Spurs during the first half of their NBA game Saturday, Feb. 8, 2020, at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento

By Jeremiah Salmonson

SACRAMENTO–The Kings played well just a day prior to Saturday’s game against the San Antonio Spurs. The Kings beat the Miami Heat on Friday night by a final of 105-97. On Saturday, the Kings looked to build on that victory as Greg Popovich and the Spurs came to town. The Tip-off was set for seven PM PST in Sacramento.

In the first, The Kings went toe to toe with the Spurs. The Kings put up 24 points compared to the Spurs 23. The hot hand for the Kings early appeared to be the three-ball. The Kings shot 42% from deep in the first to help lead them to an early lead. Leading the way was Buddy Hield for the Kings with seven points and Derrick White for the Spurs with six points.

In the second, the Kings managed to maintain a slim lead thanks to Nemanja Bjelica and Kent Bazemore who put up a combined 12 points. The King’s lead going into halftime would be three points at 52-49.

The Spurs were getting a great contribution from Dejounte Murray through the first half who had 12 points. For the Kings, Buddy Hield led the Kings with ten points in 15:01 minutes of action. The Kings shot 45.5% in the first half with the Spurs putting up a 46.7% clip.

In the third, the Spurs offense came to life but that couldn’t stop the Kings. The Kings had their best quarter of the game putting up 37 points compared to the Spurs 29. Harrison Barnes led the team out of the post putting up 13 points in the third quarter alone. The Kings would take a 89-78 lead into the final session.

In the fourth, the Kings continued to make the Spurs work. To make a long story short, DeMar DeRozan was ejected from the game after frustrations began to mount for the Spurs. Buddy Hield led the Kings as he went 9-10 from deep in the game and scored 31 points in total.

The Kings downed the Spurs 122-104. It was a great win for the Kings sweeping a back to back as they embark on a long stretch on the road. Harrison Barnes followed up the performance from Hield with a 25 point night for himself. Leading the way for the Spurs in defeat was Dejounte Murray with 17 points.

The Kings head on the road to take on Milwaukee on Monday.

Kings shock fans and the Heat with 105-97 win

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photo from sacbee.com: The Sacramento Kings’ Bogdan Bogdanovic (8) takes a jump shot against the Miami Heat’s Kendrick Nunn (25) at Golden One Center in Sacramento on Friday night

By Jeremiah Salmonson

SACRAMENTO–The Sacramento Kings faced a tough challenge on the first night of a back to back against the Miami Heat. The Heat are a surprisingly upstart team with playoff aspirations. The Kings are a struggling middling team that has been playing better of late and they did with a 105-97 victory at Golden One Center over the Heat on Friday night. The Kings looked to win their first game since the trade deadline after acquiring Alex Len and Jabari Parker. The tip-off was set for 7 PM PST.

In the first half, The Kings played really well on their home court. They managed to put up 30 in the first and 22 in the second. That was compared to the Heat scoring 28 in the first and 22 in the second. The Kings held a 52-50 lead going into the half.

The Kings shot 52.5% from the field in the first half. The Heat only managed a 45% clip from the field while only shooting 27% from three-point range. Leading the way in the first half for the Kings was Bogdan Bogdanovic with 17 points. Trailing him was Buddy Hield who had nine points. For the Heat, Bam Adebayo led the way with 13 first-half points.

In the second half, it was more of the same for the Kings. Good shooting and solid defense led to the 20th win of the year for the Kings. The Kings added 53 second-half points compared to the Heats 47 to go home happy. Granted, the Heat were down all-star Jimmy Butler.

However, this was a good win for the Kings to build on. Leading the way for the Kings in victory were Bogdan Bogdanovic and Buddy Hield with 23 and 21 respectively. The Heat received a great performance from All-Star Bam Adebayo who finished with 26 points. It was a great way for the Kings to start the first of a back to back.

The Kings will take on the San Antonio Spurs next on Saturday at 7 PM PST.

Sacramento Kings podcast with Charlie O: Kings hold their own with 113-109 win over Minnesota

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photo from sacbee.com: Sacramento Kings guard Bogdan Bogdanovic (8) yells at official during game at Golden 1 Center on Thursday, Jan 2, 2020 in Sacramento.

On the Kings podcast with Charlie O:

#1 The Sacramento Kings (18-31) held their own on their home floor against the Minnesota Timberwolves (15-34) in a 113-109 victory at Golden One Center.

#2 The Kings won four of their last six games still a lot of work ahead of them

#3 Altough the Timberwolves outscored the Kings 34-28 in the fourth quarter the Kings won the game

#4 De’Aaron Fox for the Kings continues to drain the basket with 31 points to lead the Kings on Monday night

#5 The Kings host the Miami Heat (33-15) on Friday night Kings have lost four of their last six games can they beat the Heat on their home floor.

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

 

 

Kings outwork the Wolves, then survive the fourth quarter in 113-109 win

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SACRAMENTO–The NBA trade deadline can hatch some absurd scenarios and head-scratching juxtapositions, a couple of which found their way into Golden 1 Center on Monday night.

The lottery-bound Kings and Timberwolves are unlikely to stand still come Thursday afternoon, but you have to wonder what it is either club will come up with to swing a deal, let alone significantly affect their futures.

As an aside, the Kings enjoyed a rare winner on the hardwood, lapping Minnesota early only to hold on late in a 113-109 win, sending the visitors to a telling, 12th consecutive loss. Minnesota’s centerpiece big man, Karl Anthony-Towns picked this depth of losing before the game to express his displeasure with All-Star voters who bypassed Towns in the game’s final vote tallies, prompting him to say, “It’s unfortunate this year’s All-Star Game won’t have the 24 best players in the NBA.”

“It’s about being in the NBA finals, being in the playoffs, winning games,” Towns said in trying to rationalize his thought process at this particular moment. “That’s how you build a legacy. All-Star is cool and stuff for the fans, but I’m here for the people in this locker room.”

Towns who has drawn interest from the Warriors and Celtics as a finishing piece to their title aspirations might not be sending championship signals with his play. Minnesota is 0-16 in the last 16 games Towns has been available, and the team’s defensive rating plummets with the big man on the floor.

Regardless, the Wolves would prefer to hold on to their biggest asset which is how forward Robert Covington’s name is heard most frequently in trade talks. But reportedly, the Wolves are demanding two first rounders in exchange for their 6’8″ defensive whiz.

And how’s that discourse going? Well, on Monday, Covington looked distracted, missing seven of his first eight shots, including three air balls as Minnesota fell behind by 18 points before the half.

For the Kings, Dewayne Dedmon returned from two days away from the team with an illness to turn in his most inspired performance as King: 12 rebounds, five blocks (including a big one on Andrew Wiggins with 20 seconds remaining and the Kings nursing a five-point lead) four assists, four points. Dedmon’s previous trade demands have relented, and now with Marvin Bagley Jr. and Richaun Holmes still unavailable, the journeyman center seems to have a place in the Sacramento rotation.

“He did a lot for us today, altering shots, saving possessions,” said De’Aaron Fox of Dedmon.

Fox led the Kings with 31 points, 5 assists. The Kings shot 51 percent from the floor for the game, including 14 of 27 from three. Towns led Minnesota with 22 points.

“We just got to keep pounding the rock,” said coach Ryan Saunders, who hasn’t endured any speculation about his job status despite 26 losses in the Wolves’ last 31 games. “Eventually it breaks. You just keep pounding the rock and that’s not an empty line because if you just keep staying with it, keep being diligent in your preparation and do things the right way, eventually good things will come.”

Bogdan Bogdanovich contributed a super efficient game for the Kings with 23 points on just seven shot attempts along with three assists and just one turnover in 31 minutes. Could he be the missing piece in Laker land? Maybe, but why would the Kings deal one of their prized assets at the moment he’s establishing himself as a starting NBA combo guard, or be so helpful to the rival Lakers even if a trade yields Kyle Kuzma?

The Kings have won four of six, after a six-game losing skid, and have three days of preparation–and two days of trade deadline anticipation–before hosting the Miami Heat on Friday.

 

 

Kings bow to King James and the Lakers 129-113; L.A.’s Davis finishes on top with 21

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The Los Angeles Lakers LeBron James (23) drives on the Sacramento Kings Harold Barnes (40) at Golden One Center in Sacramento Saturday night photo from bleacherreport.com

By Jeremiah Salmonson

SACRAMENTO–The Kings were coming off a great win against the other LA team the Los Angeles Clippers. The Kings played a great game and managed to record 21 three point makes. That was a franchise record. So, the Kings were looking to continue the trend against one of the best teams in basketball the Los Angeles Lakers.

In the first half, the Lakers looked like a team on a mission. The Lakers scored an incredible 29 field goals on 26 assists for a total of 81 points in the first half. It was a display you rarely see in basketball, and unfortunately it was against the Kings.

The Lakers hit 14 three pointers in the first half that put the Kings in a tough spot in the second half. The Kings did manage to score 64 points on 44% percent shooting. Ultimately, the Lakers just played a dominant form of basketball that the Kings and their defense couldn’t keep up with in the first half. Leading the way for the Lakers was surprisingly Avery Bradley with 16 points.

Right behind him was Anthony Davis and LeBron James with 13 and 13 respectively. For the Kings, Harry Giles led the way with 12 points followed by Buddy Hied with 11 in the first half.

In the second half, it was more of the same. The Kings managed to do a better job holding the Lakers down in the second half but it was ultimately to no avail. The Lakers 81 point first proved too much for the Kings to handle as the fell 129-113.

The Lakers played one of the best games of the year as the offensive output put the game out of reach from the first quarter on. Anthony Davis led the way for the Lakers with 21 points followed but the surprise performance of Avery Bradley who had 19. De’Aaron Fox led the game in scoring with 24 points as LeBron James led the game in assists and rebounds with 11 and 10 respectively.

Up Next: The Kings stay home to face the Minnesota Timberwolves on Monday night.

 

Kings defy the odds and beat the Clippers in LA 124-103

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FoxClippers
@NBCBayArea

By Charlie O. Mallonee

After being blown out by the Oklahoma City Thunder on their homecourt in Sacramento on Wednesday night, the Sacramento Kings traveled to Los Angeles to take on the Clippers in the back end of a back-to-back on Thursday night. The Kings chances of winning were just 37.3 percent.

Sacramento has not been a team that has found their homecourt to be a huge advantage this season. In fact, they seem to be very comfortable in big games on the road. That was the case again on Thursday night.

No Kawhi

The Kings did draw the good luck card because Kawhi Leonard was held out of the game due to lower back tightness. That may have really translated to the “load management” card because the Kings have not been playing great basketball lately. If the Clippers took that chance, they played the right percentages.

The Clippers started strong

The Clippers came out of the gate strong scoring 33 points in the opening 12 minutes. They held the Kings to 28 points.

‘Sacramento held the Clippers to just 14 points in the second period. LA shot just 6-for-24 overall in the quarter and did not go to the free throw line once.

The Kings hit 13 of 22 attempts from the field and nine of those baskets were 3-pointers.

The Second Half

The Kings outscored the Clippers 60-56 in final 24 minutes.

Top scorers

  • De’Aaron Fox was the leading scorer in the game with 34 points to go with eight assists and three rebounds.
  • Lou Williams led the Clippers scoring attack with 22 points and he added six assists.

The Glass cleaners

  • Dewayne Dedmon was the top rebounder with 11 grabs. He made it a double-double game by scoring 11 points.
  • Ivica Zubac hauled in 10 rebounds to lead the Clippers.

Dropping dimes

  • De’Aaron Fox dropped a game-high eight dimes in the contest.
  • Lou Williams dished out six assists to lead the Clippers.

Up next

The Kings will host the Lakers on Saturday night.

The Clippers will welcome the Timberwolves on Saturday afternoon.

Kings come back to earth on return to Sacramento in 120-100 loss to the Thunder

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By Morris Phillips

SACRAMENTO–Two segments of basketball–one exhilarating, one dreadful–separated only by the Kings’ successful, five-minute overtime on Monday in Minneapolis, go along way to explaining the lost 2019-2020 season for Sacramento.

In the final 5:42 of regulation on Monday, the Kings scored 33 points, making shots from everywhere, in belief they could overcome an insurmountable deficit against the Timberwolves. They did, tying the game in regulation, and winning it in overtime, 133-129.

The comeback would mark the first time in the previous 24 seasons that a team had overcome a 17-point deficit with less than three minutes remaining in regulation or overtime and won. Simply, on Monday the Kings accomplished what 8,000 plus teams over a quarter century could not: the comeback of comebacks.

Then on Wednesday back at Golden 1 Center–and after a stirring tribute to Kobe Bryant before the opening tip–the Kings reverted, scoring just 16 points in the first quarter on the way to a 20-point loss to the Thunder. The Kings were in it, tied at 14 with 3:58 remaining, then finished the quarter with only two more points, on their way to trailing for the game’s final 40 minutes in a sleepy loss tied closely to a substandard defensive effort that saw the Thunder guards feast on their Sacramento counterparts.

“They were more physical than us, they hit us, they outrebounded us, got the shots they wanted, and that can’t be acceptable for how we’re going to play the game of basketball.”

In Monday’s finish, the Kings hit seven 3-pointers, and got stops–a bunch of them. On Wednesday, the Kings were 1 of 9 from three in the first quarter and watched the visitors–especially from the guard’s standpoint–operate as if they were a basketball ballet troop.

Chris Paul, a close friend of Kobe Bryant, returned to action after missing the Thunder’s previous game to decompress and grieve. The break brought to light what a great season the veteran guard is having in Oklahoma City after his unceremonious dismissal from Houston. Paul’s absence was his first time he hasn’t played and started for the Thunder, a streak of 47 games. On Wednesday, with a heavy heart, it was back to work and the veteran was on top of his game, dissecting the Kings like a surgeon.

“He never really got into a flow from the standpoint of his own, personal offense, but he really managed to manipulate that game in the third quarter. He was finding guys, he was making the right decisions. He got guys open shots,” coach Billy Donovan said of Paul.

All four Thunder guards that saw significant minutes put up good numbers facing a Sacramento defense that didn’t fight through screens and wasn’t the least bit disruptive. Paul finished with nine points, 10 assists and seven rebounds. Luguentz Dort, the undrafted rookie playing in place of the injured Terrance Ferguson, put up a career-best 23 points with five 3-pointers. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the key, off-season acquisition with Russell Westbrook and Paul George departing, had 17 points, seven assists and seven rebounds. Dennis Schroeder came off the bench to add 24 points and nine assists.

Worried about the viability of the Kings’ core of Buddy Hield, Bogdan Bogdanovich and De’Aaron Fox going forward with all three likely to earn big deals to stay in Sacramento?

You should be. Defensively, the trio is nowhere near where they need to be. Picture a youthful Steve Nash getting beat at the point of attack and multiply by three. Not pretty especially with the Kings getting a look at Bogdanovich starting along Fox with Hield’s demotion. Again, all three put up decent offensive numbers on Wednesday, but their double-digit minus, plus/minus numbers said it all.

The Kings get a rough, back-to-back with the Clippers up next Thursday night at Staples Center, the first game at Staples Center since Bryant’s death.