#1 The Sacramento Kings’ preseason came to a close last Wednesday at Golden 1 Center. Kings head coach Luke Walton used the game to get a good look at some of his young prospects.
#2 One young prospect in particular Kyle Guy. He was drafted using the 55th pick.
#3 The Kings relied on Martin Bagley III in the game against Melbourne. He scored 30 points and 14 rebounds.
#4 The Kings’ Yogi Ferrell scored 5-6 from three-point land for a total of 24 points.
#5 The Kings open the regular season in Phoenix the Wednesday night. Talk about how ready the Kings are for the regular season.
#1 Talk about the Oakland Raiders’ last win. It was electrifying defeating the Chicago Bears in London. After taking a 17-point lead, the Raiders saw the Bears come rushing back with three touchdowns in the third quarter, but the Raiders just got by with a touchdown in the fourth quarter.
#2 Raiders quarterback Derek Carr threw 25-32 for 229 yards and zero on touchdowns and interceptions.
#3 Taking a look at the San Francisco 49ers, the thrill of victory has them up 5-0 in the game against the LA Rams. They got some great defense working.
#4 For the 49ers quarterback, Jimmy Garoppolo is having a great defense on the other side of the ball is giving him peace of mind and actually some confidence to throw the ball when the 49ers can get a substantial need.
#5 The Sacramento Kings conclude their preseason against Melbourne’s national team last night at Golden 1 Center. The Kings started preseason in Mumbai, and finished off the last three in Sacramento. Reports have been the Kings will have their hands full playing in an improved Western Conference.
SACRAMENTO–The NBA preseason is coming to a close and the Sacramento Kings played host to Melbourne United for their final exhibition game. The Kings new coach, Luke Walton, used the international tilt to get a good look at some fresh prospects such as this year’s second round pick Kyle Guy, who was drafted using the 55th pick.
That being said, Marvin Bagley was dominant in the first two frames. He scored 22 in the the opening half and nearly had a double-double with 9 boards. He would finish with 30 points and 14 rebounds. Yogi Ferrell also had a big night, going 5-6 from beyond the arc and finishing with 24 points.
Despite the efforts of Bagley and Ferrell, Melbourne United was competitive on the first half. A late second quarter run was where the Kings really started to distance themselves, going into the half with an 11-point lead. By the end of the third quarter, the Kings were fully in control and the quarter ended with a 27-point Kings advantage.
After winning their previous two games, this game will help the Kings maintain cohesion and momentum going into the regular season.
#1 For the Oakland Raiders, they’re nice and rested from their jet lag after their trip to London on October 6th and a bye week on October 13th. Now they prepare to play a Green Bay Packers (5-1) team, who are coming off a 23-22 narrow edge victory against the Detroit Lions last Monday Night Football. Can the Raiders pull off their third straight win at the Frozen Tundra this Sunday?
#2 The Packers got a late field goal in the fourth quarter — a 23-yarder with just over a minute left in the game from kicker Mason Crosby after quarterback Aaron Rogers took two knees before electing to kick a field goal for the one point win.
#3 San Francisco 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo has no doubts and lots of confidence going into these games, on Sunday against the LA Rams Garoppolo threw 24-33 for 243 yards and their fifth straight win 20-7.
#4 The Sacramento Kings picked up their first preseason win against the Utah Jazz Monday night with a 128-115 victory. The Kings’ Buddy Hield was all over the place with 23 points and he was the key to the offense in the Kings win.
#5 In the baseball playoffs, the Houston Astros took a 2-1 ALCS lead over the New York Yankees on Tuesday at Yankee Stadium. The Astros’ Garrett Cole threw for seven innings, four hits, five walks, and seven strikeouts.
#1 After dropping the first two preseason games in Mumbai the Kings found themselves last Thursday at Golden 1 Center in game three of their preseason with a 105-88 win over the Phoenix Suns.
#2 With an improved Western Conference, how challenging will it be for the Kings to make a charge in the standings?
#3 Luke Walton, the Kings head coach was pleased regarding the offense on Monday night against the Utah Jazz who moved on the Jazz 128-115.
#4 The Kings offense got some help from Buddy Hield led the Kings with 23 points in Utah Monday night will you be seeing Hield leading this season.
#5 The regular season is coming. How ready are the Kings?
photo from sacbee.com: Kings guard Buddy Hield (24) attempts to steal the ball from Utah Jazz guard Emmanuel Mudiay, left, in the first half of a preseason game Monday in Salt Lake City.
By Morris Phillips
The Sacramento Kings have won just 21 regular season games in Salt Lake City… in 34 seasons.
Not good, but an impressive 128-115 exhibition win Monday at Vivint Smart Arena has the Kings feeling less apprehensive about their second regular season road game October 26 at Utah.
Buddy Hield led the Kings with 23 points, Marvin Bagley contributed 22 in 30 minutes of floor time. De’Aaron Fox departed early with a lower back injury.
The Kings played their fourth exhibition contest and both teams used the occasion to play their normal starters and top reserves. The Kings’ 78-point, first half came against defensive stalwarts Rudy Gobert and Mike Conley. The Kings played their trademark, fast pace and backed that with 14 made 3-pointers.
Sacramento’s defense was far more effective than it was in India, where the Kings dropped a pair of exhibitions allowing 130 points each time last week Against the Jazz, the Kings allowed 48 percent shooting from the field.
But they benefitted from 20 turnovers and Utah’s poor shooting from the distance where they missed 26 of 35 attempts. The Kings battled the Jazz to a standstill on the glass (55 rebounds each) and put six players in double figures in scoring.
The Kings played without Corey Joseph, Trevor Ariza and Harry Giles.
The Kings conclude pre-season on Wednesday against Melbourne United at the Golden 1 Center.
photo from sacbee.com: Sacramento Kings forward Marvin Bagley III (35) blocks a shot against the Dallas Mavericks forward Maximilian Kleber (42) on March 21, 2019 in this Sac Bee file photo.
By London Marq
SACRAMENTO — The Sacramento Kings exist in an awkward space within the NBA right now. After narrowly missing the playoffs last season, their young core is hoping to make stride forward and become a better team.
The only problem — the Western Conference is vastly improved — meaning that if the Kings hope to be playoff relevant, they will have to prove they are much better than they were six months ago. Through the first two games of the preseason, the Kings are 0-2.
On the surface, it may seem like a bad omen but there are factors to consider. Those first two games were played a world away in India so it’s hard to judge the effectiveness of the team playing with so many travel miles behind them. They are also under direction from new head coach Luke Walton, so the team may be finding ways to acclimate themselves to the new strategies being implemented. All in all, the two losses are no reason to panic.
On Thursday night, the Kings welcomed the Phoenix Suns into the Golden 1 Center for their first home preseason game. Behind some excellent defense and 18 points from De’Aaron Fox the Kings would walk away with the win, 105-88.
Defense has to be a point of emphasis for Sacramento if they hope to compete for a playoff spot in the west. If tonight was any indication of the Kings’ focus on defense, then it bodes well.
Sacramento held the Suns to just 16 points in the first quarter and 18 in the fourth while outscoring their opponents in threw of the four frames. Last year, the offense was one of the most potent in the league and the Kings were one of the most exciting teams to watch.
If they can match that with consistent effort on defense, they will compete. While one preseason win is nothing to write home about, the Kings should be using this time to gel as a unit and acclimate themselves to their new coach while playing at full speed. The Kings will face a challenge in their final preseason match versus the Utah Jazz. The regular season is just around the bend, and the Kings will have a lot to prove if they want to be considered as a contender.
#1 Charlie, just two games in India for the Sacramento Kings. They played the Indiana Pacers and lost to them twice.
#2 Lots of minutes for a lot of the players on hand for game two last Saturday. Was this designed so that those players get to experience what it’s like to play a game like this in India or were these situations where the second game called for more players to come in?
#3 For Kings head coach Luke Walton, what were some of the things he was looking for in these two games that he would apply for the regular season?
#4 Talk about some of the new Kings: Kyle Guy, Caleb Swanigan, and Wayne Gabriel.
#5 The Kings host the Phoenix Suns for their next preseason game at Golden One Center in Sacramento. It’s the Kings’ first game back in Sacramento.
Fox and Hield on the break Photo: @SacramentoKings
By Charlie O. Mallonee @Charlieo1320
The second and final contest of the inaugural NBA India Games was played on Saturday morning California time and the Kings came up short in that game losing to the Indiana Pacers 130-106. Frankly, game two lacked the enthusiasm and execution that was seen in game one.
Since game one required overtime to decide the winner, the players spent more time on the court than either coach planned on before the tipoff. With so many players recording big minutes in game one, that certainly alerted the playing rotation for both teams on Saturday.
The starters looked sluggish
Mumbai Bollywood Night Photo: @SacramentoKings
The players participated in a big “Bollywood Night” that was held in their honor after the game on Friday. Couple that with the players being just about 12 hours off their regular time zones and having to deal with all the additional commitments beyond just the games — fatigue became a major factor that had to be battled in the final game on this long trip.
Sacramento had a shorter bench which meant their players had to play more minutes and their execution reflected that situation.
Bottom line, this game looked like an NBA preseason game. The second half featured many players who will be wearing the jerseys of Ft. Wayne and Stockton of the G-League later this month.
New Kings to watch
Kyle Guy — The Kings’ second-round draft pick- saw his first game action on Saturday. He played just under 20-minutes shooing 2-for-7 (one 3-pointer) while sinking 4-of-5 from the free-throw line. The rookie grabbed two rebounds and dished out three assists. Guy finished with nine points.
Caleb Swanigan came off the bench and did some banging under the boards for Sacramento. It did not take long for him to make his presence known. Swanigan scored four points, pulled down four rebounds, blocked two shots and added three assists in little over 17-minutes on the court. He did commit five fouls — which will have to be addressed — but Swanigan made a mark in the game.
Wenyen Gabriel — another of the Kings’ two-way players — played 15-minutes scoring six points. He shot only 1-for-5 from the floor (3-pointer), but he converted 3-of-4 from the charity stripe. Gabriel also added four rebounds, two assists, one blocked shot and one steal.
SAC leaders
Scoring: Buddy Hield 17 points
Rebounding: Dewayne Dedmon 7 rebounds
Assists: De’Aaron Fox 6
Steals: Justin James 3
Blocked Shots: Dedmon 2/ Swanigan 2
Significant Stats
The Pacers attempted 94 shots in the game to the Kings 81
IND shot 52.1% overall; SAC shot 38.3% for the game
The Kings went to the free-throw line 41 times to just 18 trips for the Pacers
The Biggie – Points in the Paint: Pacers 60 Kings 28 (oh my)
Air Drake
Approximately two hours after the game ended, the Kings boarded “Air Drake” (their charter belongs to the rapper Drake — check it out online). They will take about 48 hours to readjust to being in California, and then, they will get ready for their third preseason game of the year. That game will be with the Phoenix Suns at the Golden 1 Center on Thursday night.
The first-ever NBA game was played in Mumbai, India on Friday night between the Indiana Pacers and the Sacramento Kings. Well, it was Friday night if you were in Mumbai. If you were in Sacramento, the game tipped off at 6:30 AM, so it was bagels and basketball.
The Game
Much to the chagrin of the coaches and to the delight of the crowd, the game required overtime. The Pacers prevailed in OT 132-131. The Kings’ Buddy Hield put up a long 3-point shot that had a realistic chance of going in, but bounced high off the rim and was put back in by Marvin Bagley for two points at the buzzer. Sacramento fell one point short of causing double overtime.
To say that the players were “gassed” would be a gross understatement. All five of the Indiana starters and three of the Sacramento starting five played 30-minutes or more. Rest assured that neither Nate McMillan nor Luke Walton planned to play any of their players for that long in the first preseason game.
Key Numbers
T.J. Warren — who was traded the Pacers by the Suns in the off-season — was the game’s leading scorer with 30 points. He hit 11-of-18 from the floor and was 5-of-6 from behind the 3-point line.
Domantas Sabonis recorded a double-double with 21 points and 12 rebounds. He made six rebounds on offense and six on defense.
Point Guard Malcolm Brogdon also had a double-double game with 15 points and 14 assists.
Buddy Hield led the Kings’ scoring attack with 28 points. He shot 11-for-20 from the field and converted 4-of-10 from downtown.
Harrison Barnes — fresh off his time with Team USA — put 21 points in the book. Barnes went a perfect 11-for-11 from the free-throw line.
De’Aaron Fox added 15 points and dished out eight assists.
Numbers for concern
Luke Walton cannot be happy that his team was outrebounded 47-30. The Pacers scored 21 second chance points to the Kings’ seven. That is not a winning formula in the NBA.
Nate McMillan will be talking to his team about turnovers. The Pacers turned the ball over 25 times in the contest, which resulted in 25 Sacramento points.
Why India?
The NBA really sees itself as being a worldwide game and marketing force. The league’s goal is to literally market itself around the globe. With a population of over 1.3 billion people, India is a market that cannot be ignored.
Here are a few other facts:
More than 3 million fans in India follow the NBA on Facebook.
Over 300 live NBA games are available to viewers in India each season. In fact, fans in Sacramento often welcome Indian viewers just before tipoff.
The NBA opened an office in Mumbai in 2012 — one of 12 NBA offices outside the USA.
The NBA Academy India was opened in 2017 in Delhi to help develop top male and female basketball prospects.
The other reason India is a key target for the association is Kings majority owner Vivek Ranadive is originally from Mumbai. It has been his dream to bring the game to his country of origin.
“This is a historic day, but for me it’s a dream come true. I left Bombay (Mumbai) when I was 17 years old and literally I had $50 in my pocket, so to come back here with my NBA team and also bring my friend Herb Simon with his team and to play an actual NBA game is beyond my wildest, wildest imagination,” explained Ranadive.
Ranadive has a vision for the future, “What I see happening is that within the next 10 years, this game, it’ll never surpass cricket as the national pastime, but it’ll be right up there. And hopefully, Commissioner, we can launch a league right here in India. I hope in the next 10 years that we’ll have at least one player that comes out of the system that plays in the NBA. We already see players. And I fully expect that there will be arenas that spring up across the country where we can play these games.”
More from Mumbai tomorrow
The Kings and Pacers will play one more preseason game on Saturday night in Mumbai. The tipoff time in Indiana is 8:30 AM and in Sacramento it is 6:30 AM. If you call yourself a real NBA fan, it is breakfast and basketball tomorrow morning.
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