Tag: Brooklyn Nets

Warriors hang on to beat Nets 118-111

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Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) drives to the basket against Brooklyn Nets guard Caris LeVert (22) during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Sunday, Nov. 19, 2017, in New York. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)

by Jerry Feitelberg

BROOKLYN — The Warriors were without Kevin Durant, but were able to build a 22-point lead at halftime behind the play of their leader, Steph Curry. The Warriors then had to hang on for dear life as the Nets outplayed them in the second half and almost were able to upset the Warriors. Shaun Livingston and Klay Thompson made key buckets late in the fourth quarter, and the Warriors won 118-111.

With the Warriors trailing 10-8, they took the lead for good as they went on an 8-0 run to lead 16-10. Curry led the charge, and the team got some help from Nick Young who made two three-pointers as they finished the first quarter leading 32-20.

The Warriors ended the first half leading 64-42. Curry led the team with 22 points, and he had eight rebounds, four assists and he made three steals. Curry committed his third personal foul late in the first half and had to finish the half on the bench.

The Warriors increased the lead to 28 (78-50) early in the third quarter. The Nets refused to fold and started chipping away at the lead. The Warriors led by 20 with 2:20 left in the period when the Nets made some three-point shots and went to the free throw line as the Warriors committed too many fouls. Curry committed his fifth personal foul late in the third quarter and went to the bench. The Warriors led 98-84, but the Nets were now feeling confident that they were back in the game.

The Nets kept chipping away at the Warriors’ lead. The Warriors still led by 14 with 8:28 left to play. Little by little, the Nets crept closer and cut the deficit to four (107-103). Curry fouled out of the game with three minutes to play. It was at this point that Livingston made a huge bucket and Thompson then followed with a two-point bucket and then a three-pointer to lead 114-106. The Nets refused to go down as they made a trey. The Warriors made a two-pointer to lead 116-109. The Nets closed in at 116-111. They fouled Thompson, who made the two free throws to put the game away 118-111.

Game notes and stats: Curry led the Warriors with 39 points, seven assists, 11 rebounds and four three-point shots. Thompson also finished with a double-double (23 points and 10 rebounds). Draymond Green, Andre Iguodala, and Omri Casspi started in place of Kevin Durant. The trio played well on both ends of the court.

As a team, the Warriors had eight steals and 14 blocks. Young, Iguodala, David West and Kevon Looney all made contributions to the Warriors’ win.

The Nets had five players in double figures. Allen Crabbe led the Nets with 25. Crabbe made six three-point shots in 11 attempts. Spencer Dinwiddie finished with 21. DeMarre Carroll had a double-double with 15 points and 11 boards. Rondae Hollis-Jefferson added 15 and Caris LeVert came off the bench to tally 13.

The Nets were 27-for-39 from the free-throw line. The Warriors were 16-of-23 from the charity stripe. The Nets also made 16 three-pointers while the Dubs were 10-for-24.

After the game, Green had this to say about the game: “Not many teams can keep up with us running.” Green added: “So, slow the game down, I think you give them more of a shot. Something we always talk about is defending without fouling. We didn’t do a good job of that today.”

Coach Steve Kerr also commented on the team’s narrow escape, saying, “We had to withstand their run, and luckily, we did with some good execution in the last few minutes after Steph (Curry) went out.”

With the win, the Warriors are now 13-4 for the season, and the Nets drop to 6-10.

Durant did not play as he sprained an ankle Saturday night in Philadelphia. Durant is expected to play Wednesday night as the Warriors travel to Oklahoma City to face his former team (Thunder).

The Thunder has a new look this year as they signed star forwards Paul George and Carmelo Anthony. Game time is at 5 pm.

The Warriors come from behind to beat the Brooklyn Nets

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by Jerry Feitelberg

Brooklyn, New York – The Golden State Warriors, without star defensive ace Draymond Green who returned to the Bay Area Thursday for the birth of his son, rallied from a sixteen-point halftime deficit to down the Brooklyn Nets 117-101.

The game was very competitive in the first quarter as the Nets led 34-33 at the end of the first twelve minutes. The Nets behind big Brook Lopez and point guard Jeremy Lin drove the lane and were able to score as the Dubs were not playing any defense at all. The Nets owned the second quarter as they outscored the Dubs 31-16 and led by sixteen at the half. The Warriors could not stop Brook Lopez as he tallied 23 in the half. The Warriors went cold late in the quarter and were able to score just 4 points in the last 4 minutes and 44 seconds of play in the half. Brooklyn led 65-49. The Nets started the second quarter on a 9-0 run, and they looked like they were going to upset the best team in the NBA.

However, teams have to play four quarters to win the game. The Nets may have won the first half but the Warriors, behind the stellar play of Kevin Durant, Klay Thompson, Zaza Pachulia, and Steph Curry were no match for the Warriors. The Dubs played defense. They lead the NBA in steals and blocked shots, and they did exactly that as they held the Nets to nineteen in the third quarter and seventeen in the fourth. The Warriors forced the Nets to commit twenty-six turnovers. The Warriors had nineteen steals and seven blocked shots as they showed Brooklyn how good they are. The Dubs outscored Brooklyn 39-19 to take a four-point lead after three and by sixteen in the fourth to win 117-101.

Game Notes- The Warriors improve to 26-4 for the year while Brooklyn drops to 7-21. Kevin Durant led Golden State with 26 points,7 assists, and nine rebounds. He also blocked a shot. Klay Thompson knocked down 23, Steph 15, and Zaza Pachulia had a double-double. Zaza had a season-high 15 points to go along with 14 boards. Quite a performance. David West led the bench scoring with ten, and he blocked two shots. Ian Clark and Andre Iguodala added 8 each. Iguodala snagged six rebounds. The Dubs shot 45.2% from the floor, and they made twelve 3-point shots. They also had good ball movement as they recorded twenty-nine assists.

After the game, Warriors’ head coach Steve Kerr said the players’ “intensity in the third got us going.” The Warriors started the period with a 17-2 run. “That changed the game.”He also said:”I didn’t expect to be down sixteen at the half, but I knew they(Brooklyn) would come out and give us a hell of a fight.” He remarked that the “transition defense in the first half was horrible and that no matter who you play, you have to defend” The Warriors did just that in the second half as they came back from the sixteen-point deficit to record the 26th win of the year.

The Warriors play the Pistons in Detroit Friday night. Game time is at 4:30 pm. The Warriors then play the Cleveland Cavaliers Sunday in Cleveland. Game time for the big game is at 11:30 am.

 

Kings win game one on the road beating Brooklyn 122-105

Published on by Charlie O. MalloneeLeave a comment

By Charlie O. Mallonee

NBA: Sacramento Kings at Brooklyn Nets
Photo USA Today Sports

The road is a harsh place in the NBA

The chances of a road team winning a game in the NBA stand at approximately 40-percent. That means the odds are against you before you ever start the game.

The Sacramento Kings kicked off a six-game road trip in Brooklyn on Sunday night against the Nets. The Nets came into the game having lost six consecutive games and were desperate for a win. Sacramento knew this was a team they could beat and needed to defeat to make it a successful start to the road trip.

The Kings (7-10) met their goal by soundly defeating the Nets 122-105 to start the long road trip on a positive note.

The Nets opened the game with fast and furious play

Brooklyn plays fast as team normally, but they opened this game with a sense of urgency wanting to end their losing streak and feeling like the Kings were a team they could beat on their home court.

The Nets decided to use the Rockets philosophy and started shooting as many 3-pointers as possible against the Kings. The concept worked momentarily as Brooklyn opened up a nine point lead shooting 5-for-10 from long range, but the Kings got organized on offense scoring with high percentage shots in the paint. At the end of the first quarter, the Kings had cut the Nets lead to four points – 35 to 31.

The Sacramento second unit slowed the Nets down in the second quarter

The Kings second unit led by Matt Barnes and Garrett Temple slowed the Nets down by increasing the defensive pressure and continued to cut into the Brooklyn lead using high percentage shots in the paint. Sacramento tied the game up with 8:52 to in the first half, and then they took the lead.

The Nets took the lead back before the end of the half, but they were not able to reestablish the fiery pace of the first quarter. Also, the Kings continued to score. DeMarcus Cousins hit a 25-foot bank shot for 3-points near the end of period. At the end of the 12-minutes, Sacramento had won the quarter 27-24. Brooklyn went to halftime with a 59-58 lead over the Kings.

Sacramento Kings v Brooklyn Nets
Photo NBAE

In the third quarter the Sacramento Express rolled into Brooklyn

The Kings have been a strong second-half team in general this season. On Sunday night in Brooklyn, they found a whole new running gear thanks to their star center. Cousins took charge of the game scoring 18 points in the quarter, shooting 6-for-9 from the floor including hitting 2-of-2 from 3-point range. He went 4-for-4 from the free throw line, grabbed five rebounds and had three steals in the period. Cousins did in 12-minutes what a majority of players would love to do in an entire game.

Rudy Gay added five points and two assists. Darren Collison scored five points and had one assist. Matt Barnes put up three points and dished out three assists in just 5:30 on the floor.

By the end of the quarter, the Kings had outscored the Nets 34-18 in the period and had a 92-77 lead in the game.

The one negative of the quarter was that DeMarcus Cousins picked up a technical foul for hitting Luis Scola in the face under basket while trying to make a layup. Cousins then went to the line to shoot two free throws because Scola fouled him in the act of shooting. It is Cousins fourth technical of the season.

Sacramento Kings v Brooklyn Nets
Photo NBAE

The fourth quarter should have been an easy one for Sacramento but is wasn’t

Everything started off the Kings in fourth quarter just the way they wanted things to go. It looked like it would be a forgettable 12-minutes and Sacramento could move on to Washington, D.C. for the game on Monday night.

Then at the 9:35 mark of the fourth quarter, Sean Kilpatrick of the Nets drove to the basket for a layup. Matt Barnes of the Kings ran in from the angle to cut him off and there was heavy contact. Replay revealed that Barnes’ left arm made contact with Kilpatrick’s face. The officials went to review the video and everyone knew Barnes was going to be issued a flagrant one foul. Instead, the referees called it a flagrant two foul and Barnes was ejected from the game. (Let me just say that Barnes previous reputation as a tough guy may have come into play in the call – imho).

The ejection changed the momentum of the game and the Nets promptly went on a 16-2 run and cut the Kings lead down to 99-93.

Rudy Gay hit a 19-foot jumper with 6:29 to go in the game which kicked off a 14-0 run by the Kings. That run killed any hope the Nets had of coming back in the game.

Sacramento won the game by the final score of 122-105.

Sacramento leaders

NBA: Sacramento Kings at Brooklyn Nets
Photo USA Today Sports
  • DeMarcus Cousins was the leading scorer in the game with 37 points and made it a double-double with 11 rebounds
  • Rudy Gay had a big game with 22 points, eight assists and eight rebounds
  • Darren Collison scored 18 points
  • Ty Lawson scored 13 points coming off the bench for the Kings
  • Omri Casspi played again for the Kings putting up eight point and grabbing five rebounds. He was 2-for-2 from 3-point range.
  • Everyone on the Sacramento bench except Anthony Tolliver – that includes Ben McLemore and Willie Cauley-Stein- played in the game

Brooklyn’s top producers

  • Guard Sean Kilpatrick was the Nets leading scorer with 22 points. He went 8-for-13 shooting including three 3-point baskets
  • Brook Lopez put up 17 points and hauled in seven rebounds while battling with DeMarcus Cousins all night
  • Bojan Bogdanovic added 13 points for Brooklyn
  • Justin Hamilton was the Nets rebounding leader with 10

Key stat of the game

Points in the paint: Kings 50 Nets 36 – this is where the game was won

Up next on the schedule

The Nets game was the first game of a back-to-back set on the road for the Kings. Sacramento will play on Monday night in Washington, D.C. The Wizards are 5-10 on the season and are coming off a loss to San Antonio. The Kings did play the Wizards in the preseason at Rupp Arena on the campus of the University of Kentucky.

The Nets will try to end their seven-game losing streak on Tuesday night when they host the 14-4 Los Angeles Clippers.

No defense equals no win for Sacramento; Kings lose to Nets 128-119

Published on by Charlie O. MalloneeLeave a comment
NBA: Sacramento Kings at Brooklyn Nets
Photo Credit: Noah K. Murray-USA TODAY Sports

by Charlie O. Mallonee

Opposing teams have figured out how to defeat the Sacramento Kings. First, you have to start fast because the Kings are slow to start playing defense. Second, shoot the 3-ball because the Sacramento perimeter defense is non-existent.

The Brooklyn Nets came out fast in the first quarter on Friday night against the Kings. The Nets put up 33 points in the first period. In fact, the Nets scored at least 30 points in three of the four quarters in the game. This scoring barrage was from a team that averages just 95 points per game.

The Nets also came prepared to shoot from long distance. Brooklyn connected on 18 of 28 (64.3-percent) 3-point attempts versus the Kings. Bojan Bogdanovic hit on 7-0f-9 3-point shots while Joe Johnson went 5-for-7 from downtown. Donald Sloan shot 4-for-5 from long range.

Brooklyn (13-38) – who had lost five consecutive games – shot 55.8-percent (48-for-86) from the field. Sacramento (21-29) never found its defensive footing in the contest.

George Karl described his team as having a “shootout mentality” rather than a defensive mentality. Karl went on to add that things felt “very empty” after the game.

The fact is the Kings can score enough points to win but they cannot stop enough points to keep from losing.

Sacramento has now lost six of their last seven games. This game versus the Nets was supposed to be one of the most winnable contests on this four game road trip that includes games in Boston and Cleveland before the All-Star break.

It is very apparent that something has to change for the Kings and it has to happen quickly.

DeMarcus Cousins was very cryptic after the game saying his team has a “big issue” to deal with internally. He was clear that the issue went beyond energy and effort.

Even with the loss, the Kings are just three games out of the number eight spot in the Western Conference playoff race. The potential of the playoffs may just be an afterthought if the Kings cannot find solutions to whatever is ailing them in the locker room and on the court.

Kings

Darren Collison led the Kings in scoring by putting up 25 points in 25 minutes of playing time off the bench. Collison went 7-for-9 from the floor including two 3-point baskets. He was also an impressive 9-for-9 from the free throw line.

DeMarcus Cousins posted a triple-double against the Nets. Cousins scored 24 points, grabbed 10 rebounds and dished out 10 assists in the game. He was a perfect 4-for-4 from beyond the 3-point arc.

Rajon Rondo had a double-double game as he scored 15 points and distributed 15 assists. Rondo had three steals and turned the ball over just two times.

Willie Cauley-Stein added 16 points, Marco Belinelli 13, Caron Butler 8 and Omri Casspi 7.

Rudy Gay scored just two points in the game. Gay went down early in first quarter with a twisted ankle. Karl had no update on Gay’s condition after the game.

Sacramento shot 50.6-percent (45-for-89) from the floor hitting on 8 of 26 3-point shots. The Kings shot 21-for-22 from the foul line. They had 30 assists and just 11 turnovers.

All of these numbers support the premise that the Kings score enough to win. They just cannot keep the other team from scoring more.

Nets

Joe Johnson scored a season-high 27 points to lead the Nets scoring attack. Johnson shot 11-for-16 from the floor including 5-for-7 from downtown. Johnson did not make one trip to the free throw line in the game.

Center Brook Lopez posted 26 points in the game. Lopez made it a double-double game by hauling in 12 rebounds.

Bojan Bogdanovic scored a season-high 23 points against the Kings. He shot 8-for-10 from the field and 7-for-9 from long range. Bogdanovic also did not make a trip to the charity stripe in the contest.

Donald Sloan had a season-high 17 points versus the Kings. A team cannot allow that many season high scoring performances from the opposition and expect to win.

Up next

The Kings will return to action on Sunday with an early game in Boston. The Celtics (30-22) beat the Cavs 104-103 in Cleveland on Friday evening. The Kings – Celtics game will tip-off at 10:00 AM Pacific Time.

The Nets play the second game of a back-to-back against the Sixers in Philadelphia on Saturday.

 

 

 

 

Kings fall short in loss to Bulls

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by Michael Martinez

Photo credit (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli)

SACRAMENTO- A Chicago Bulls team without All Star Jimmy Butler gives opponents a much better chance at winning, or at least competiting. Butler sat out Wednesday night’s ball game with left knee tendinitis. The Kings did do a good job of sticking around with the Bulls, but allowed E’Twaun Moore to tear up the defense as if he was Butler.

Sacramento once again allowed a player who never really impacts games to get a career high in points. The Kings had a lot of sloppy play and their defense was not consistently strong enough to ever allow them to over come the Bulls. Missed free throws cost the Kings as well especially when it counted. Even with another monster game from DeMarcus Cousins, who was honored as an All Star prior to the game, Sacramento could not overcome the Bulls. The Kings (21-27) lost to the Bulls (27-21), 107-102, in a tightly contested match up in Sacramento at Sleep Train Arena.

The Kings lacked urgency to start the game. Sacramento looked slow and the Bulls took advantage, especially Moore. Moore scored ten of Chicago’s first 13 points causing Sacramento to take a timeout at the 7:02 mark. Moore would finish the quarter with 13 points, a point shy of his career high.

Marco Belinelli’s shot started to look better, scoring six points in the quarter, as he got another start. The Kings were able to hang around in the quarter in big part to DeMarcus Cousins, who scored eight points in a row later in the quarter causing the Bulls to call a timeout with Chicago up by eight. The Kings’ defense caused five turnovers, but could not find a way to stop the Bulls from scoring as Chicago shot 57.1% from the field. The Bulls did an excellent job behind the three-point line, going six for eight.

The Bulls took advantage of the Kings’ four turnovers with nine points off those turnovers. Allowing the Bulls to shoot at a high percentage had the Kings down, 35-24, after one quarter of play. For the fifth straight game, the Kings allowed their opponent to score 30 or more points in the first quarter.

“It’s a nightmare,” said Coach George Karl.  “I’ve never had this many games on your home court come out flat.”

Coming off of a sluggish first quarter, Darren Collison helped pick up the pace for Sacramento. Off the bench, Collison finished the half with 13 points, eight of those from the second quarter. The Kings’ defense did a better job against the Bulls’ offense and found some of their own as well.

With 4:35 left in the second quarter, Omri Casspi and Bobby Portis received a technical foul each after the pair were yapping at one another over a prior play.

Down by four, Sacramento looked to keep the game close but the Bulls went on a 6-0 run to go up by ten as Chicago continued their good ball movement with a little under three minutes to play in the half.

Belinelli scored six more points in the second quarter. Belinelli hit two three-pointers for a total of 12 points in the half. Belinelli’s threes helped keep the Kings within reach with one of those threes coming from a Cousins’ screen and put the score at 60-57. Belinelli’s three would be the last field goal of the half with the Bulls leading the Kings, 60-57 after one half of play.

Omri Casspi and Bobby Portis  received a double technical after the pair were yapping at one another over a prior play.

Moore eclipsed his prior career high of 14 points with 15 in the first half for a halftime high. Cousins scored 14 points for a team high. Chicago had ten second chance points in the first half, as they out rebounded the Kings, 26-18. Chicago crashed the boards much harder than the Kings, but with 28 points in the paint Sacramento kept it close.

The Kings started the third quarter off with a 5-0 run, giving them their first lead since early in the first quarter. But the Bulls followed it up with a 5-0 run of their own. The Kings got to 66 points, which was later changed to 64 as a Rudy Gay field goal was changed to a shot clock violation. After that point, Sacramento turned the ball over on five straight possessions, but luckily the Bulls did not do so well either. Throughout the quarter, Sacramento inched closer and closer, but the eight third quarter turnovers never gave them a chance to regain the lead.

Both teams did very little offensively, with Chicago scoring 20 and Sacramento scoring 18. The Kings did a much better job of rebounding the ball with four offensive boards and 14 total in the quarter. Gay scored six points on 3-6 shooting for a total of ten, looking much better in the third quarter after foul trouble in the first half.

Moore continued to play well out of the break with seven points in the third. Cousins also had a big quarter with eight points, as him and Moore tied for a game high with 22 points. After a lot of careless basketball, the Bulls still maintained their lead, 80-75 through three.

The fourth quarter came down to the wire although the Bulls started out the quarter on a 6-0 run. Again, the Kings were able to stay in the game and went up by as many as ten in the quarter. With a little over three and a half minutes to play, Chicago was up 99-90 over the Kings. But Belinelli’s improved shooting came in clutch for Sacramento as they got the lead down to four, 105-101, after he hit a three pointer while getting fouled.

Belinelli missed the free throw, but Cousins grabbed the board and was fouled. Cousins only made one free throw to cut Chicago’s lead to three with 45 seconds in the game. Sacramento kept getting stops and had possession down three with 17.9 seconds.

Out of a timeout, the Kings drew up a play to get Cousins the ball inside for a quick two, but Boogie could not convert on two separate tries. The Kings fouled Moore with 10.4 seconds left and the game seemed basically over. However, Moore missed both free throws and Sacramento got the rebound with nine seconds remaining. Cousins got fouled and missed the first free throw, letting out great frustration afterwards. Boogie missed the second shot on purpose and got called for a lane violation.

Pau Gasol, who finished with 16 points and 13 boards, made two free throws to close out the game and give the Bulls the victory, 107-102. Rudy Gay fouled out by fouling Gasol.

Derrick Rose had a solid fourth quarter with eight points, totaling 21 points and adding nine assists with six boards. Moore finished with a career high 24 points as he filled the shoes of Butler tonight.

Cousins added another double double on the season, 30 points and 11 rebounds, finishing with a game high. Cousins admitted to being banged up after a very physical game, but is still ready to go. Belinelli scored 18 points for Sacramento, 7-14 from the field.

Off the bench, Collison scored 19 points but did not see much playing time in the second half. Rajon Rondo added nine assists for the Kings, who continue to score well in the paint, but have lacked good starts in games.

The defense got better, but Chicago shot 52.4% from the behind the arc, which was a  big difference maker as well as their 19 fast break points. Both teams finished with 17 turnovers in a very sloppy game.

“Starts. Turnovers hurt us tonight, transition defense hurt us tonight,” Cousins said.

The Kings have now lost five of their last six games and are looking for answers with four games left before the All Star break.

“I would probably say our only pattern is our effort coming out early on in games. We’ve got to find a way to improve that,” Cousins said when asked about characteristics in their losses.

The Kings, now 21-28, will need to practice what they preach heading into the last four games to gain momentum as they near the break. On Friday, Sacramento will take on the Brooklyn Nets on the road as they look to get the roller coaster season back in their favor with some much needed road wins.

“We’ve got to get three, we have to,” Cousins said.

The Warriors lose a heartbreaker.

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by Jerry Feitelberg

The Golden State warriors suffered a tough loss Monday night in Brooklyn as they lost to the Nets 110-108. The Dubs were playing their fourth game in five days and were finishing a six game road trip. In fact, the Dubs have played ten of their last eleven games away from the Oracle Arena and finish the trip with a win over the Nets.

The Warriors beat Boston in Boston Sunday afternoon and were hoping to get to New York to get a good night’s sleep as they were playing back to back games for the second time on the trip. Unfortunately, they were delayed for five hours due to weather or a mechanical problem and didn’t get to the hotel until 4 am Monday morning. They still, nonetheless, had to face the Nets later and somehow find a way to beat them. Steph Curry and Klay Thompson were not on their game at all in the first half of play. Andrew Bogut and Festus Ezeli played well as did the bench. The Nets were hot. They shot 73% from the floor in the first period and had a ten-point lead 33-23. Brook Lopez, coming off the bench, played extremely well for the Nets. The Warriors played a little better in the second period, but the Nets enjoyed a six-point lead 57-51 at the half. Neither team scored in the last 2 minutes and 30 seconds of play.

Bogut had 16 points, 6 rebounds, and 2 blocks while Steph and Klay had just 5 points between the two of them. Ezeli had 8 points off the bench. The starters were just 2 fo 17 from the floor. Brooklyn shot 56% opposed to Golden State’s 45%. The Warriors had 18 second chance points while holding Brooklyn to just six.

The third period saw the Warriors attempting to mount a comeback, but Brooklyn rebuffed them every time. The Dubs trailed by 3 with 9:41 left, but Brooklyn extended the lead to nine after Steph and Bogut had to leave the game as they were both charged with 4 fouls. The third period ended with Brooklyn leading by six points 86-80.

The Warriors closed the gap to just one, trailing 91-90 with over 9 minutes left to play but Brooklyn went on a 8-0 run to lead by nine. Steph got his game going and the W’s were making a run trying desperately to find a way to win. Curry made two huge 3-point shots to make it a 108-105 game with 3:27 left. Harrison Barnes made a free throw and Steph scored a deuce to tie it at 108 with a minute five left. The W’s defense kept Brooklyn from scoring. They rebounded and block shots and it looked like Golden State was going to get the win but the Dubs turned the ball over and the former Warrior, Jarrett Jack scored the game-winning shot with just 1.1 seconds left on the clock. Final 11-108 Brooklyn.

With the loss, the Warriors fall to 46-12 while Brooklyn improves to 25-33. Steph Curry led the W’s in scoring with 26 points, 18 coming in the fourth period. Bogut had 16, Ezeli 14, Iguodala 12 and Thompson just 7. Brook Lopez had 26 and teammate Deron Williams added 22 for Brooklyn.

After the game, Warriors’ head coach, Steve Kerr, had this to say ‘ I’m proud of our guys, great effort particularly with all the travel.’ "Festus was fantastic, Boges first half was the most aggressive in a long time. Kerr said he told the players to "keep it close, give them plenty of rest during the game and take our shot in the fourth quarter.’ They did just that but sadly, they came up just a few points short

The Warriors return home to play three at home facing the Milwaukee Bucks Wednesday night then the Dallas Mavericks on Friday and then the Los Angeles Clippers on Sunday afternoon.

Kings Can’t Contain Plumlee, Drop To Brooklyn

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By Shawn Whelchel.

The Sacramento Kings dropped the first game of their four game roadtrip to the Brooklyn Nets on Monday night, after sloppy play and a lack of bench scoring neutralized a big night from DeMarcus Cousins and Rudy Gay.

Gay led all scorers in the game with 25 points on 9-of-21 shooting, while Cousins continued his strong play, following closely behind with 24 points on an efficient 9-of-12 shooting from the field, accounting for 49 of the Kings 99 total points.

But while four out of five starters finished Monday’s contest in double digits for the Kings, the bench failed to provide the necessary support during their minutes on the court, adding just 19 points while contributing to the losing effort.

Nets center Mason Plumlee continues to shine in place of Brook Lopez, who has been reserved to a bench role as of late, as he dumped in 6-of-7 attempts good for a team high 22 points on the night.

The Kings continue to hurt themselves with sloppy play, as a total of 21 turnovers on the night led to 25 points for the Nets at home. Brooklyn’s bench also outscored the Kings by 19 points.

Despite the lack of bench play, the Kings pulled to within 5 points with just over five minutes to go in the fourth quarter. But the defense couldn’t hold off the Nets, who used a pair of runs to solidify their victory over the visiting Kings for their 14th win of the season.

The Kings will take on the Celtics on Wednesday, December 31 at 10 a.m.

Kings lose to Nets 104-89

Published on by Charlie O. MalloneeLeave a comment

Image

 

Photo credit: NBAE/Getty Images

By Charlie O. Mallonee

For second consecutive game, the Sacramento Kings committed more turnovers (24) than they had assists (11). For the second consecutive game, the Kings lost. Sacramento lost to the Brooklyn Nets on Sunday 104-89.

Another reason the Sacramento loss in Brooklyn was the play of former King Marcus Thornton. Thornton scored 27 points in just 27 minutes of playing time to be the Nets’ leading scorer of the game. More than half of his shots came from “3-point land” where he was 5 for 8 shooting. Every player who is traded wants to play well against his old team. Marcus Thornton was great versus the Kings.

The Nets’ bench outscored the Kings’ bench 59-19. Seven players scored off the bench for Brooklyn led by Thornton.

The Sacramento defense allowed Brooklyn to shoot .532 (41/77) from the field. The Nets shot .480 (12/25) from behind the 3-point line. The one weakness for the Nets was their poor performance from the free throw line (10/16 .625%).

The Kings shot just .444 (36/81) for field goals. They were a dismal 5 for 23 (.217) for 3-point shooting. Sacramento had one of its poorest performances of the season from the free throw line shooting 12 for 21 (.571).

Sacramento outrebounded Brooklyn 53-27, but they trailed the Nets in assists 25-11. The Nets recorded 14 steals to just three for the Kings.

The Kings squandered a great performance by DeMarcus Cousins. Cousins posted a double-double scoring 28 points and pulling down 20 rebounds.

Rudy Gay scored 20 points for the Kings. Isaiah Thomas had a very quiet game scoring just 10 points on 19 shots and hitting on just one of nine 3-point attempts.

Brooklyn outscored the Kings in every quarter except the second when both teams scored 21 points each.

The Kings are now 1-2 on their seven game road trip. Sacramento travelled to Detroit after the game to prepare for a Tuesday night contest with the Pistons. The Kings do not return to Sacramento until March 18 when they will host the Washington Wizards.

 

O’Neal, Green provide huge lift for Warriors win over Nets

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By Joe Hawkes

OAKLAND — With a six game road trip set to begin Monday in Detroit, the Warriors appear to be hitting their stride at the right time.

Playing without power forward David Lee (stomach flu) and center Andrew Bogut (shoulder inflammation), Jermaine O’Neal and Draymond Green filled in nicely, helping the Golden State Warriors  pick up their third straight victory after the All-Star break with a 93-86 victory over the Brooklyn Nets in front of a sellout crowd of 19,596 at Oracle Arena Saturday night.

“That’s what this game was all about, guys stepping up,” said Warriors head coach Mark Jackson after the game. “We needed that. Guys stepping up when needed and those guys stepped up tonight.”

O’Neal, who was caught in traffic due to the Monster Truck rally next door at O.co Coliseum, had a season-high 23 points and 13 rebounds while starting in place for Bogut, who missed his seventh straight game. O’Neal’s performance was vintage O’Neal. The kind of performance that made him a six-time All-Star in eight seasons with the Indiana Pacers.

“At this point of the year, you got to play hard and make every possession counts,” said the 18-year veteran O’Neal. “I don’t know what next year holds for me, but I know that my team will play hard each night. ”

Green poured in 18 points and 10 rebounds in 38 minutes of action tonight while starting for Lee. Green was all over the court and brought huge energy to the starting lineup seeing 38 minutes of action.

Stephen Curry scored 17 points with eight assists, and Andre Iguodala scored six points to go along with 11 rebounds logging a game-high 44 minutes.

Curry shot 7-for-13 from the field, including 3-for-4 from 3. With the Warriors clinging to a 88-86 lead with 1:02 left in the fourth quarter, Curry hit a 3-pointer off the glass giving Golden State a 91-86 lead with under a minute left in the game.

Golden State (34-22) dominated in many facets of the game including points in the paint (52-38), rebounds (50-39), assists (26-11), and steals (12-5), while holding Brooklyn to shooting 32-for-78 (41.0%) and 2-for-21 from 3 (9.5%).

Deron Williams led Brooklyn (25-28) with 20 points and dished out six assists.

Joe Johnson had 15 points, Andray Blatche had 14 points and eight rebounds, and Paul Pierce chipped in 11 points for Brooklyn, who have dropped eight of their last nine in Oakland.

Golden State improves to 18-10 at home this season, and were able to payback Brooklyn for snapping the Warriors’ 10-game winning streak with a 102-98 win in Brooklyn in January.

 

 

Warriors Four Minutes Shy Of History In Brooklyn, Nets Snap Streak At 10

Published on by Matthew HarringtonLeave a comment

By Matthew Harrington

The Golden State Warriors fell just over four minutes shy of history Wednesday night, getting tangled up by the Brooklyn Nets (14-21) at the Barclays Center 102-98 to snap a 10-game win streak, including winning the last six consecutive road games. A victory would have matched the longest streak in Warriors history, set during the 1971-72 season. The ’71-’72 team got just 5 of their 11 wins on the road while the current Warriors (24-14) boasted seven-straight road victories, including a win in Denver December 23rd before returning home for a pair then returning to the road again for the current stretch of travel. It also would have been the NBA’s first 7-0 uninterrupted road trip.

Warriors guard Stephen Curry and Nets shooting guard Joe Johnson dueled for the game-high in points, with Curry coming out on top with 34 points to Johnson’s 27. David Lee netted 20 points for the Warriors and Andray Blatche grabbed 17 off the bench for Brooklyn. Nets forward Mirza Teletovic had a game-best 10 rebounds, while Andrew Bogut’s nine led the Dubs.

For the second time in two nights, the Warriors struggled to establish dominance against a struggling team. The Warriors came back from an early Milwaukee lead Tuesday to complete a 101-80 blowout for their 10th-straight win, matching the most wins in a row by a Warriors team since the 1975 championship team. In Brooklyn Wednesday night the Warriors again flirted with disaster, spotting the Nets, who entered the game with an 8-9 record at home, to a 59-52 halftime lead.

Golden State managed to chip away at the Nets lead, outscoring the home team 24-16 in the third quarter. A Harrison Barnes three-pointer with just 32 seconds left in the third frame gave the Warriors their first lead of the second half 76-75. Kevin Garnett put the Nets back on top on a lay-up 12 seconds in to the final quarter. Garnett, fouled on the play by Draymond Green, converted the and-one for a 78-76 edge.

The two teams went shot-for-shot down to the wire, with no team making consecutive field goals for the first eight minutes in the final 12 minutes of regulation. The Warriors gained ground and took a one-point lead after Andrei Kirilenko missed a second free throw after hitting the first. Curry took a driving layup to the lane for the 88-87 lead with 6:48 left of game time. The Warriors lead grew to a second-half high of four points at 93-89 when Klay Thompson nailed a trey off a David Lee feed with 4:05 to go. Brooklyn outscored the Warriors 13-5 down the stretch, all but two Nets points coming on free throws, to halt the Warriors winning ways in the final game of the road trip. The Warriors ended the night with 27 personal fouls to the Nets 20.

The Warriors return home for a Friday night tilt against the Boston Celtics for the first game at Oracle Arena in the New Year. It’s also Golden State’s first game following a loss since a December 21st they demolished the Lakers 102-83 after suffering an embarrassing 102-104 loss to the short-handed Spurs just two earlier. It’s also the Warriors first home game since December 27, before they started their longest road trip of the season spanning seven cities in 11 days. When the Dubs last took the Oracle court just days after a win in Denver for a Christmas showdown with the Clippers, the Warriors were barely in the playoff picture, standing at eighth place in the Western Conference. By virtue of nine wins in their last ten, the Warriors now sit a game back of the Los Angeles Clippers for the Pacific Division lead and a fourth-place ranking.