Tag: Buddy Hield

Kings fight to the final buzzer but come up short as Rockets win 105-100

Published on by Charlie O. MalloneeLeave a comment
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Cauley-Stein puts in a dunk to cut the Rockets lead to three points with seven seconds to go in the game

by Charlie O. Mallonee

Kings open the 2017-18 regular season with loss to the powerful Houston Rockets

The Sacramento Kings kicked off their new season before a sellout crowd of 17,583 at the Golden 1 Center on Wednesday night. Their opponent was the very powerful and talented Houston Rockets who started their season on Tuesday night with a last second win over the defending NBA Champion Golden State Warriors in Oakland.

The Kings hoped to take advantage of catching the Rockets on the second game of a back-to-back set on the road. They also received some good news when they learned that Chris Paul would not play due to ongoing problems with a knee contusion.

Sacramento (0-1) kept the game close through all four quarters. They even won the third quarter 24-23. The lead changed eight times in the game and the contest was tied four times. Houston’s largest lead was 11 points while the Kings biggest lead was six.

James Harden struggled through the first three quarters of the game appearing to be tired from effort that expended versus the Warriors on Tuesday night. Unfortunately for the Kings, Harden caught a second wind in the final period and scored 12 of his game-high 27 points over those last 12 minutes. That performance really made the difference for the Rockets (2-0).

Despite being down by 11 points with 5:13 remaining in the game the Kings did not give up and cut the Houston lead to just three points with 26-seconds to go in the contest. It was at that point this game took a left turn that the Kings would never recover from.

The Kings George Hill sank two free throws to make it a 98-95 game with Houston in the lead with 26-seconds remaining. On the inbounds play, Hill appeared to disrupt the possession by Eric Gordon who lost control allowing the ball to go out-of-bounds. The big crowd went wild but settled as a video replay was ordered.

What the crowd, the Kings bench and the majority of the media did not understand was the replay was not to determine if Gordon was the last player to touch the ball before it went out-of-bounds. The replay was to confirm a foul call that made on Hill by the referee on the far-side of the court. The replay center in Secaucus upheld the foul call and Gordon was sent to the charity stripe to shoot two shots.

Gordon hit both shots to give Houston a five-point lead with 26-seconds to play essentially sealing the win for the Rockets. The Kings gave it their best effort but came up short.

Kings head coach Dave Joerger addresses the call in a very subdued manner in part two of his video comments.

Dave Joerger was very proud of the effort his team gave against the talented Rockets

  • Sacramento shot 42-for-88 (47.7%) from the floor
  • The Kings shot 8-for-23 (34.8%) from 3-point land
  • The team went just 8-for-10 from the free throw line vs. 27-for-29 for the Rockets

Joerger was not happy about the foul call that was upheld by the video replay center

  • De’Aaron Fox 14 points (7-for-15 shooting), five assists, four rebounds, 23-minutes of playing time
  • Buddy Hield 19 points (8-for-17 shooting including three 3’s), five rebounds, four assists, one steal

Coach Joerger was pleased with the play of Willie Cauley-Stein

  • Cauley-Stein with the double-double: 21 points (game-high for SAC), 10-for-15 shooting, 10 rebounds (four offensive), three blocked shots

This was a Tier One vs a Tier Three game

  • Kings played without Zach Randolph who was sidelined by oral surgery
  • Bogdan Bogdanovic did not play because of a sprained right ankle

The Kentucky connection was very important to the Kings on Wednesday 

  • Skal Labissiere 12 points, 10 rebounds to post a double-double
  • Cauley-Stein, Labissiere and Fox = 47 points, 24 rebounds, seven assists

Up next for the Kings and Rockets

  • Sacramento heads out on the road and will face the Dallas Mavericks on Friday night
  • The Rockets will have their home opener on Saturday night when they host the Dallas Mavericks

No chicken dinner for Kings in Vegas as they lose to Lakers 75-69

Published on by Charlie O. MalloneeLeave a comment
carter vs lakers
Vince Carter directs traffic in the Kings — Lakers game in Las Vegas Photo USA Today Sports

by Charlie O. Mallonee

The third preseason game of the year for the Kings was a premiere matchup between Pacific Division rivals. The Kings and the Lakers are both very young teams that are trying reestablish themselves as legitimate playoff contenders in the NBA Western Conference.

Frankly, neither of these teams will be playing a game after the end of the regular season in April. That being said — both the Lakers and Kings are going to be much more entertaining to watch in 2017-18 than they were last season with the players they acquired in the draft and in free agency.

The game on Sunday night at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas was not a “beautiful game”, but it was an entertaining game. The Lakers established a big lead in the first quarter and then the Kings fought their way back into the game in the second period.

The Kings actually took the lead in game in third quarter behind 22-9 run but they would not be able to hold on to that lead in final quarter of the game. When the final buzzer sounded, the Lakers had held on to record their first win of the preseason 75-69 over the Kings before a decidedly pro-Laker crowd in “Sin City”.

There were really no losers on Sunday night in Las Vegas

Magic talks to crowd Lakers
Magic Johnson spoke to the fans in Las Vegas before the game on Sunday Photo USA Today Sports

Both the Kings and Lakers donated their proceeds from the game on Sunday night to victims and first-responders of the mass shooting that happened last Sunday in Las Vegas. The donations will go to the MGM Grand Foundation who will administer the distribution of the proceeds.

This was a very nice gesture on the part of both teams.

The Ball vs Fox matchup did not happen again

The summer league rematch between Lonzo Ball and De’Aaron Fox did happen due to an injury reported by Ball. That brought out many comments about Ball not wanting to be embarrassed by Fox the way he was in the UCLA — Kentucky matchup.

On Sunday, it was announced that Ball would not be available due to an ankle problem. Fox would not have been able to play in the second-half due to a lower back bruise suffered in the first-half of the game.

Do not worry. The big face off is going to happen during the regular season and it will be worth the wait.

Neither team had impressive stats in the game

Kings

Sacramento shot 25-for-80 (31.2-percent) from the floor. They connected on just 7-of-25 (28.0-percent) for 3-point attempts. Those are not the kind of shooting numbers that will win games in the regular season. Sacramento went 12-for-16 (75.0-percent) from the free throw line. The percentage was fine but the number of attempts was too low.

Sacramento grabbed 37 rebounds (5 offensive). They recorded 15 assists and 12 turnovers which is not an acceptable ratio. The Lakers scored 10 points off the Kings 12 turnovers.

Lakers

Los Angeles shot 41.4-percent (29-for-70) from the field. The Lakers hit just 6-of-24 (25.0-percent) from beyond the 3-point line. They were 11-for-15 (73.3-percent) from the charity stripe.

The Lakers hauled in 49 rebounds (2 offensive). They recorded 21 assists and 20 turnovers which is not acceptable to any coach. The Kings scored 18 points off the Lakers 20 turnovers.

Team Leaders

Sacramento

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Zach Randolph was a team leader for the Kings on Sunday night Photo USA Today Sports

Zach Randolph led the Kings scoring attack with 16 points. Z-Bo was 7-for-15 shooting. Garrett Temple put up 12 points while Vince Carter added nine. Bogdan Bogdanovic, George Hill and Buddy Hield each added seven points in the game.

George Hill was the Kings top rebounder with eight. Kosta Koufos grabbed seven.

The Kings used just 11 players in the rotation on Sunday night.

LAK

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Rookie Kuzma was a star for the Lakers on Sunday Photo USA Today Sports

Julius Randle posted a double-double by putting up 17 points and pulling down 10 rebounds. Rookie Kyle Kuzma dropped in 15 points. Many observers feel that Kuzma could be a bigger story than Ball this season but remember this is just the preseason. Brook Lopez scored 12 while Jordan Clarkson added 10 points.

Kuzma also pulled down eight rebounds.

Alex Caruso led the Lakers in assists with four and Kuzma had three.

Interesting stat of the game

When you look at the stats, you know this was not a great field goal shooting game. It really became an “old style” NBA battle in the paint contest. Sacramento scored 24 points in the paint (12-for-28) while the Lakers scored 40 points in the key (20-for-34).

Up next

The Kings (1-2) will be back in action on Monday night in Sacramento when they will host the Portland Trail Blazers (2-1). Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.

Young Kings can’t make it two wins in a row over Spurs; lose 113-93 on the road

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spurs WCSby Charlie O. Mallonee

The Sacramento Kings learned the very tough lesson on Friday night that all NBA teams must learn – it is very tough to win on the road in “the Association”. After beating the Spurs in their preseason opener in Sacramento, the Kings suffered their first loss of the preseason on Friday night in “the Alamo City” losing to the Spurs 113-93.

Sacramento came out of the gate fast

The Kings outscored the Spurs 24-15 in the first quarter of the game on Friday night. Buddy Hield led the Kings scoring barrage putting up eight points in the first 12-minutes of the game. Willie Cauley-Stein and Frank Mason added four points each in what would be a 24-point first quarter for Sacramento.

Unlike Monday, it was the young the Kings who were chosen to start on Friday night on the road. Malachi Richardson, Skal Labissiere, Willie Cauley-Stein, Buddy Hield and De’Aaron Fox were the starting five in San Antonio.

The Spurs outscored the Kings in the 2nd, 3rd and 4th quarters

The Spurs outscored the Kings by 12 points in the second quarter, six points in the third quarter and by 11 points in the fourth quarter.

Danny Green led the way with 20 points for the Spurs. LaMarcus Aldridge shot 5-for-10 from the field to score 10 points for San Antonio. Brandon Paul, Bryn Forbes and Davis Bertrans scored nine points each against the Kings.

The Spurs shot 55.4-percent from the field and 48.4-percent (15-for-31) from 3-point range. San Antonio had 28 assists and 17 turnovers. That is not the ratio a team wants to have but is was good enough to post a win on Friday night.

The Kings young players were featured on Friday

spurs hield

Willie Cauley-Stein was the Kings leading scorer in game with 14-points. He also grabbed nine rebounds and turned the ball over just two times.

Skal Labissiere had a 13-point game for the Kings on Friday night. He went 6-for-10 from the field, hauled in two rebounds and did not turn the ball over in 25-plus minutes of playing time.

Buddy Hield and De’Aaron Fox each added 12-points in their time on the floor.Georgios Papagiannis played 29-minutes and recorded 10-points and three rebounds. Marcus Williams who is fighting for a spot at the end of the bench put up nine points in 13-minutes of playing time.

The Kings shot 45.2-percent from the field and 26.7-percent from 3-point land. Sacramento had 32 rebounds and 13 turnovers.

The bottom line lesson

Winning on the road in NBA is very hard. Unfortunately for the young Kings, that is a lesson that will be a lesson that will be learned many times in 2017-18.

Up next for Sacramento 

The Kings will return to preseason action on Sunday night in Las Vegas when they will face the Los Angeles Lakers. Proceeds from the game will be donated to victims of the tragic shooting of the Route 91 Harvest music festival.

Harry Giles update

The Kings have revealed that Harry Giles will not be available to play until January 2018 as he continues to rehab from his surgery for an injury to his ACL. Giles who was originally projected to be the number one pick in the 2017 NBA Draft Lottery has suffered setbacks due to knee troubles.

Giles is just 19-years old so the Kings can afford to patient. He has been most often compared to Chris Webber. If he can be close to  Webber, waiting until he his fully healthy will be worth the wait.

Kings eclipse the Suns 129-104 in season home finale

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by Charlie O. Mallonee

phx hield
Buddy Hield drives to the hoop in Kings win over the Suns Photo NBAE

SACRAMENTO–The Sacramento Kings played their 41st and final home game of the 2016-17 NBA season Tuesday night at the Golden 1 Center. The Kings sent the sellout crowd of 17,608 home happy by soundly defeating the Phoenix Suns (24-58) 129-104.

Here’s your 2:20 Game Wrap

The season is now over for Phoenix. They finish with a record of 24-58 in 15th and last place in the Western Conference of the NBA. The Suns currently hold the number two pick in the NBA Draft Lottery before the pull of the ping-pong balls. That means Phoenix has a 19.9-percent chance of winding up with number one overall selection in this years’ draft.

As of now, that would mean the Suns would probably be the winners of the Lonzo Ball sweepstakes. Tighten those seatbelts – it could be a wild ride from here.

The Kings (32-49) are now in a tie for 12th place in the Western Conference with the Dallas Mavericks. If the season were over today, the Kings would own the number nine and 10 picks in the NBA Draft Lottery.

Dave Joerger seemed caught up in the victory celebration after the game

Major performances on offense

Kings

  • Buddy Hield leads all scorers in the game with a career-high 30 points
  • Ty Lawson posts his first career triple-double with 22 points, 12 assists and 10 rebounds
  • Sacramento uses nine players in the game and eight of them score in double figures
  • Kings shoot 51.8-percent (43-for-83) from the floor for the game
  • SAC uses the 3-ball hitting 9-for-19 (47.4-percent) from downtown
Phx ty
Ty Lawson posted his career triple-double vs the Suns Photo NBAE

Suns

  • Tyler Ulis led Phoenix in scoring with 27 points hitting 10-for-25 from the field
  • Sacramento native Marquese Chriss put up 22 points before a large crowd of family and friends
  • The Suns attempted 109 shots in the game connecting on just 41 (37.6-percent) of those attempts
  • PHX went just 14-for-24 (58.3-percent) from the charity stripe
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Dave Joerger draws up a play vs PHX on Tuesday Photo NBAE

Up next

The Kings will be in Los Angeles on Wednesday to face the Clippers in the final game of the 2016-17 regular season. This game will help to determine who will finish fourth or fifth in the Western Conference. It is really a battle for home-court advantage.

For the Suns, the season is over. Up next for them, the NBA Draft Lottery.

Intern Jordan Chapin was our videographer for the coverage on Tuesday evening

OMG! The Kings win second consecutive game downing the Mavericks 98-87

Published on by Charlie O. MalloneeLeave a comment

by Charlie O. Mallonee

SACRAMENTO–Here is your 2:20 Game Wrap from the Kings 98-87 win over the Mavericks

It is that time of year when winning can be losing and losing can be winning

If you are an NBA team that is not headed to the Playoffs, there is very little incentive for your management to encourage your team to win games. The fact is – the more games your team loses – the better your chances are in the NBA Draft Lottery and the NBA Draft.

The 2017 NBA Draft has been labeled as one of the most talent-laden drafts in a decade or more. Non-playoff teams want to have the best possible selection positions as possible for this once in decade or more event. The question becomes how do you tell your players and fans that their team needs to lose games now to make things better in the future.

“Tanking” is a word that no one in NBA HQ wants to hear or acknowledge exists. The whole concept of a professional sports team doing less than its best to win a game is repugnant to sports fans everywhere, but yet, the current draft system totally encourages teams to “tank” after they are eliminated from Playoff contention.

Commissioner Adam Silver and his staff need to come up with a plan that rewards non-playoff teams for winning rather than losing as they head into the Draft Lottery. It would be better for the fans, players and the game overall. The game cannot have a system where winning is losing.

The Kings won the game because of their 3-point shooting and rebounding

The Kings shot an incredible 54.5-percent (12-for-22) from beyond the 3-point line on Tuesday night. Ben McLemore was a perfect 5-for-5 from downtown. Buddy Hield hit 4-of-7 from long range. Langston Galloway converted 2-of-4 three point attempts.

The Mavericks attempted 43 three-point shots. They were successful just 12 times(27.9-percent).

Sacramento outrebounded Dallas 50-39. The Kings grabbed 10 offensive rebounds and 40 on defense.

The Kings outscored the Mavs in the paint 38-30.

Ben Mac was on fire

Ben McLemore scored 11 points in the final 4:02 of the third quarter. He would go on to lead the Kings in scoring with 22 points. McLemore went 5-for-5 from beyond the 3-point arc.

Buddy Hield – the Western Conference Rookie of the Month – finished with 16 points. Four of his five field goals were 3-point baskets.

The Kings converted 12-of-22 (54.5-percent) from 3-point land in the game.

Game snapshot

  • Biggest lead: Kings 12 Mavericks 7
  • Lead changes in game 10
  • Number of times the game was tied 9

Coach Joerger’s final analysis of the game

Up next for the Kings

The Kings will have two days to rest and regroup before they have to fly to Southern California to face the Los Angeles Lakers on Friday night.

The Kings hand the T-Wolves a 123-117 loss on the road in Minnesota

Published on by Charlie O. MalloneeLeave a comment

by Charlie O. Mallonee

min kat
Two former Wildcats working against each other Photo NBAE

The Sacramento Kings faced an impossible task on Saturday night in Minneapolis. They had been blown out of the arena in New Orleans on Friday night and then had to make a long flight to the Twin Cities to play the second game of a back-to-back set on the road on Saturday versus the Timeberwolves.

Dealing with losses is something a young team has to do but wait … the Kings did not lose in Minnesota. They beat the Timberwolves 123-117 to up their record to 30-47 on the season which puts them just one game behind the 12th place T-Wolves in the Western Conference standings.

The loss puts Minnesota just one game behind the Kings for the seventh best odds in the NBA Lottery. I hate this time of year where winning can be bad and losing can be good for your team. Somehow that system needs to be tweaked – hello Adam Silver!

This was a game of extremes

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Hield drives on the basket Photo NBAE

The T-Wolves led by 13 after the first 12-minutes. They increased that lead to 16 at one point. The Kings recovered from the big leads and held a 15 point lead of their own at one point.

There were 13 lead changes in this game and it was tied nine times. Both teams fought hard in this contest. The key for Sacramento was outscoring Minnesota 37-28 in the second quarter and 36-26 in the third quarter.

The Kings out-shot the Timberwolves

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Hield scored 22 for the Kings Photo NBAE

Sacramento finished with some very strong shooting stats. They shot 56.4-percent (44-for-78) from the floor overall. They were an incredible 11-for-19 (57.9-percent) from downtown.

Minnesota shot 39-for-87 (44.8-percent) from the field and just 36-percent (9-of-25) from behind the 3-point arc. The two teams tied with 48 points each in the paint.

The big difference was the bench scoring

The Kings bench outscored the Minnesota bench 66-26. It is very tough to stop a team who has a second unit that is that on fire.

Ty Lawson led the Kings bench scoring with 21 points. He was 5-for-8 from the floor and an incredible 11-for-14 from the charity stripe. Langston Galloway put up 17 points and hit 3-of-4 3-point shots. Arron Afflalo scored 16 points for the second unit converting 4-of-5 3-point tries.

Buckets and WCS lead the starters

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WCS ready to shoot Photo NBAE

Rookie Buddy Hield tied his season-high points total with 22 against Minnesota. He went 9-for-15 from the floor and hit 4-of-6 from downtown. Hield played just over 34-minutes in the game.

Willie Cauley-Stein posted another double-double scoring 15 points and posting 10 rebounds. He shot 5-for-9 from the floor and hit 5-of-7 free throws. WCS also had three assists and two steals.

Minnesota’s big two did their best to beat the Kings

Andrew Wiggins scored a game-high 32 points. He hit 13-of-20 shots from the floor and sank 4-of-7 3-point attempts. Interestingly, Wiggins converted just 2-of-6 free throws. He also had three assists and one blocked shot.

Karl-Anthony Towns sank 8-of-17 shots from the field for 26 points. He was just 1-for-5 from beyond the 3-point arc. He excelled from the charity stripe by sinking 9-of-10 from the line. Towns posted a double-double game by hauling in 11 rebounds.

The Kings return to the friendly confines of G1C

Sacramento – who has won two of their last three games – will return to action on Tuesday night when they will host the Dallas Mavericks.

Boogie gets his revenge against the Kings leading the Pelicans to a 117-89 victory

Published on by Charlie O. MalloneeLeave a comment

by Charlie O. Mallonee

Sacramento Kings v New Orleans Pelicans
DeMarcus Cousins dominates versus the Kings Photo: NBAE

Former Kings All-Star center DeMarcus “Boogie” Cousins did not want to leave Sacramento. In fact not long before the big trade, Cousins said he was looking forward to having his jersey being retired and hanging in the rafters at the Golden 1 Center.

Since being traded to New Orleans, Cousins has been quoted making statements about loyalty – or lack there of – in some not so veiled jabs at his former team. So, everyone who follows the NBA was ready to see the man they call Boogie go off against his former team when they met in NOLA on Friday night. The big man did not disappoint.

Cousins put up 37 points and grabbed 13 rebounds as he led the Pelicans to a 117-89 thrashing of his old team. He also had four assists, three steals and two blocked shots. Cousins teammates made sure their new superstar was able to be in a position to publically embarrass his former team – especially the ownership and front office.

In a post-game interview with the Kings Radio Network, Jordan Crawford of the Pelicans said that he and his teammates were doing everything they could do to help Cousins win the game and dominate his old team. They were successful in their efforts.

Before all Kings fans start tearing their clothes and sitting in ash-heaps in mourning, they need to realize that Cousins presence in New Orleans has not been the difference maker that many people thought it would be when the trade went down.

The “Pels” (33-43) have been on a bit of a roll as they have won eight of their last 11 games and have pulled within 4.5 games of the eighth-place Portland Trail Blazers for the final playoff slot in the Western Conference. With just six games remaining, New Orleans would need a miracle to make the playoffs and turn the first-round draft selection they sent to the Kings into a non-Lottery pick.

Yes, Boogie had a big night. But, it was a short-term success because in the long-run the “revenge win” will mean nothing in big picture of the NBA. That is one of the reasons Cousins in no longer with the Kings. There were too many short-term victories and not enough long-term successes.

How did the former Pelicans do against their former team?

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Buddy Hield working against the his former team the Pelicans Photo: NBAE

Buddy “Buckets” Hield scored 13 points shooting 6-for-9 from the floor. He was 1-for-4 from beyond the 3-point line. Hield hauled in eight rebounds, dished out three assists and had one blocked shot.

Tyreke Evans made the start for his old team against his old team – that gets confusing really fast. Evans recorded 11 points going 3-for-9 from the floor including two 3-point baskets. Evans played just 19-minutes in the game.

Langston Galloway played almost 21-minutes but really struggled on offense. He shot just 1-for-7 from the field. His one score was a 3-point bucket.

How did the other young Kings do in the game?

Skal Labissiere played just over 36-minutes on Friday night and scored 13 points. He also pulled down eight rebounds. The rookie did not have his best shooting night going 5-for-16 from the floor. Labissiere did not attempt a 3-point shot which is an oddity for him. He converted 3-of-6 from the free throw line.

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Willie Cauley-Stein had a double-double game vs the Pelicans Photo: NBAE

Second-year man Willie Cauley-Stein recorded 11 points in 34-minutes of playing time. “WCS” made it a double-double game by posting 14 rebounds. Cauley-Stein is taking advantage his opportunities to start and play big minutes.

Ben Mac leads the Kings in scoring

nola mac
Ben McLemore led the Kings in scoring versus the Pelicans Photo: NBAE

Ben McLemore led the scoring attack for Sacramento recording 15 points against the Pelicans. He shot 6-for-16 from floor, added eight rebounds and distributed four assists in his 25-minutes of playing time. McLemore is an improving player under the guidance of Dave Joerger and his staff.

Up next for the Kings

After the game, the Kings headed for the airport and took off for a long flight from the “Crescent City” to the “Twin Cities” to face the Timberwolves. This is the type of brutal back-to-back scheduling that NBA has to eliminate if coaches are to be persuaded to stop sitting stars for rest.

Kings go to school for the season’s final games, Jazz conduct the first lesson, Kings bow to Jazz 112-82

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By Morris Phillips

SACRAMENTO–Skal Labissiere, an NBA rookie, raw and unrefined as any, but improving, shows his growth and limitations in spurts, sometimes alternating from one trip to the offensive end of the floor to the next.

Both promising and maddening, his trials mirror the growth of the young Sacramento Kings, now in full rebuild minus DeMarcus Cousins, along with Coach Dave Joerger’s declaration that his remaining veterans will take a back seat to the youngsters in the season’s final eight games.

In the third quarter Wednesday night, with the Kings concluding their 17-minute, mid-game push for respectability after falling behind by 20 to Utah in the first quarter, Labissiere was on display for three straight offensive trips.

First, Labissiere drove from the top of the key and seamlessly dropped his jump hook in the lane, and after Boris Diaw’s answer three, the Kings’ rookie spun baseline and missed a jump hook, a lower percentage play than him turning or driving middle, then the third time Labissiere drove again, deftly shuttling the ball to Willie Cauley-Stein, who was fouled at the rim.

Some good, some bad.  The Kings started Labissiere’s display down seven.  It finished, the Kings were down eight.

“Every game, like I said before, is a learning experience,” he said.

Coach Dave Joerger says he wants to see his team’s basketball I.Q. soar.  But it’s a process, practice, film and games all factor in, and time, if not patience, is short. Sensing blood, Utah pounced, shooting 63 percent after halftime.

“Their size at the wing and their experience–they just moved us around places,” Joerger said. “Like I said, it was a good learning experience for our younger guys.  In the middle of five games in seven nights, you just try to pick yourself up and on to the next one.”

Joerger knows, having coached playoff-caliber Memphis, this isn’t what it supposed to look like.  With Cauley-Stein and Labissiere on the floor extensively, one or both have to get to shooters out to the three-point line, and the Jazz exploited the inexperience with five threes in the first quarter, and 13 for the game.  The nuanced nature of NBA pick and rolls put the Kentucky pair and mountain man Georgios Papagiannis, who played 20 minutes, in tough spots away from the rim which led to baskets in a pair of big runs that ballooned the Utah lead.

Papagiannis had a pair of smooth jump hooks.  The Greek center also left his feet defensively on the baseline away from the basket, and instantly turned Jeff Withey into a swooping dunk artist on par with Tom Chambers.

Ben McLemore came up with 17 points in the Kings’ resurgent second quarter, the highest scoring quarter of his pro career. But with the Kings trying to cut the deficit to single digits that same period, McLemore was stripped by Rodney Hood igniting a Jazz fastbreak.

The Kings made just two threes, intensifying the disparity between the clubs from distance.  The two makes was a season low; Buddy Hield missed all three of his attempts from three, McLemore was 1 of 4.

The Kings knew rebounding would be key against the physical Jazz, but perhaps not this aspect: the Kings managed just two offensive rebounds and often weren’t in position for second chance opportunities when shots were released.

Those finer points come with time and repetition, building blocks that don’t currently favor rebuilding Sacramento.

“By and large we just dribbled the bajeebers out of the basketball for most of the game so it’s hard to find guys who are open when we’re just constantly dribbling it,” Joerger admitted.

The Kings followed consecutive one-point wins over the Grizzlies and Clippers with the 112-82 loss to Utah.  The Kings never led, but after trailing 34-14 after one quarter, sliced Utah’s lead to two, twice in the third.  The Jazz responded by scoring 27 of the next 38 points.

Utah remained a game-and-a-half ahead of the Clippers in the race for the fourth spot in the Western Conference and home court in the first round of the playoffs.

 

 

 

Kings go to Golden State University on Friday night losing to Warriors 114-100

Published on by Charlie O. MalloneeLeave a comment

gswtoppix

by Charlie O. Mallonee

The Sacramento Kings educational tour continued on Friday as they traveled to the Bay Area to take on the Golden State Warriors for the final time this season. The Kings had a chance to split the season series at 2-2 with a victory. The Warriors won the game 114-100 and win the season series three games to one.

The Kings did not go with an all youngster starting lineup

Dave Joerger was not of a mind to just let his team be steamrolled for the sake of learning and falling back in the draft lottery standings. Joerger went with Afflalo, Koufos, Cauley-Stein, Hield and Lawson to open the game.

Sacramento did hold out Darren Collison, Tyreke Evans and Anthony Tolliver for “rest”. The bottom line on those decisions are designed to get the less experienced players more time on the court. With the playoffs out of reach, getting  playing time for younger players in order to evaluate their talent and value to the organization is the priority.

Buddy Hield led the way again for the Kings

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Hield works against Curry Photo: NBAE

Hield had another big night for Sacramento as he finished the game as their leading scorer with 22 points. He shot 7-for-14 (50-percent) overall from the floor and hit 4-of-9 from behind the 3-point line. The rookie out of Oklahoma was perfect 4-for-4 at the free throw line. He played 33-minutes versus the Warriors.

Hield grabbed eight rebounds, dished out seven assists and had two steals in the game. He continues to show marked improvement in handling the basketball in traffic and passing the ball when open shots are not available.

WCS was efficient on offense

Sacramento Kings v Golden State Warriors
Willie Cauley-Stein works against Curry Photo: NBAE

Cauley-Stein scored 12 points as the starting center playing 27-minutes against Golden State rather than his usual 30-plus minutes of “PT” we have been seeing from him in recent games. He hit 5-of-6 shots from the floor and was a perfect 2-for-2 from the charity stripe. He also recorded four rebounds, two assists and one steal.

That other kid from Kentucky played 27-minutes as well

Rookie Skal Labissiere did not start the game but did play substantial minutes. Labissiere finished with a double-double scoring 10 points and hauling in 10 rebounds. He also distributed eight assists.

Labissiere just keeps doing things that amaze and prove that he deserves to be in a Kings uniform and on the floor playing in NBA games. The future is bright for this rookie and the fans in Sacramento.

“Papa G” spent some valuable time in class

Sacramento Kings v Golden State Warriors
Papa G tries to stop Curry Photo: NBAE

Kings rookie center Georgios Papagiannis received 26-minutes of classroom time on the floor versus the Warriors on Friday night. The big man had times when he looked confident and time when he looked lost. Just what you would expect from a 19-year rookie facing the best team in the NBA.

Papagiannis finished with seven points shooting 3-for-6 from the field and hitting 1-of-1 from the free throw line. He also posted four rebounds, one assist and one blocked shot.

Other Kings contributors

Ty Lawson scored 20 points hitting 8-of-9 from the floor. Ben McLemore scored 11, Langston Galloway 8 (they need to find this guy more shots), Garrett Temple 5, Arron Afflalo 3 and Kosta Koufos 2 points.

Sacramento team numbers

The Kings shot an impressive 48.2-percent (40-for-83) from the floor. They had a better 3-point shooting percentage – 47.6-percent – than the Warriors. Both teams sank 10 3-point shots.

Two stats that killed the Kings:

  • Turnovers: Kings 21 that resulted in 36 GSW points; GSW 13 that created seven Kings points
  • Assists: Kings 27 ; Golden State 37 … let that sink in

Streaks

  • Kings: have lost four-in-a-row and are 2-8 in their last 10
  • Warriors: have won six-in-a-row and are 7-3 in their last 10

Up next for SAC

The Kings are back in action on Sunday at 12:30 PM PDT when they will face the LA Clippers at Staples Center in Los Angeles.

 

 

 

Spurs take the Kings to school as they break a two game losing streak

Published on by Charlie O. MalloneeLeave a comment

Sacramento Kings v San Antonio Spurs

by Charlie O. Mallonee

Coach Gregg Popovich is notorious for resting players whenever he decides it is necessary. He does not care what the league, broadcast executives or fans have to say about the practice. A team in the Kings situation is praying that “Pop” will rest a few stars against them.

Unfortunately for the Kings, San Antonio had lost two games in row coming into Sunday’s game, and there was no chance that the Spurs were going to rest anyone unless they had opened up an unbeatable lead. All the Kings could do was suck it up, give it their all and hope to keep the game close to have a chance at the end.

Sacramento came out of the gate starting quickly – something they have not always done this season – and put up 27 points in the first quarter. The Kings held a six point lead after the first 12-minutes.

Coach Pop got his team’s attention in the second quarter and they outscored the Kings 37-22 in the second 12-minutes. The Spurs took a 58-49 lead to the locker room at halftime and they would never look back after that.

The Spurs did not let up after halftime as they put up 41 points to the Kings 25 in the third quarter. After 36 minutes, it was a chance for the Spurs to rest the starters and for the Kings to go to school against a championship team.

Ultimately the Spurs (53-16) won the game 118-102 to drop the Kings record to 27-43 and to 1-2 on this three-game road trip.

Buddy Hield got back on track

Hield did not have the game he wanted to have in OKC on Saturday. On Sunday in the Alamo City, Hield put up 18 points. He shot 8-for-14 from the floor and went hit 2-of-3 from beyond the 3-point line. Hield also grabbed five rebounds, dished out five assists and made one steal. He played 32-minutes in his start versus the Spurs.

Look out here come those Kentucky guys

Willie Cauley-Stein got the start at forward and took advantage of that opportunity. He scored 18 points to tie Buddy Hield for the team high. WCS also pulled down four rebounds, distributed five assists and had a blocked shot. He shot 5-for-11 from the field and converted 8-of-11 from the free throw line.

Skal Labissiere did not start but he added 14 points. The rookie big man hit 7-of-9 from the floor to go with seven rebounds. Labissiere did all of that in just 23-minutes on the floor.

Papa G grabbed some serious rebounds

Georgios Papagiannis spent 24-minutes in the game versus the Spurs. The big rookie scored just six points going 2-for-7 from the field, but he grabbed 10 rebounds – including four offensive rebounds – in the contest. “Papa G” is getting the opportunity to learn on the job against some of the best players in the NBA.

Temple played well against Kawhi Leonard

Garrett Temple played tough on defense helping to hold Leonard to just 12 points in the game. At the same time, Temple scored 15 points hitting 3-0f-3 from 3-point land. Temple continues to be a solid leader for the Kings.

Kings had some solid team numbers

Sacramento shot a respectable 49.4-percent (41-for-83) from the floor. They shot 7-for-10 (70-percent) from beyond the 3-point line. The Kings had a very acceptable 29 assists to 11 turnovers posting for the game.

Why did the Spurs win

San Antonio scored more points in the paint, had more second chance points and had more fast break points than the Kings. That pretty much guarantees a win for your opposition. In this case, it did.

Up next

The Kings are off until Wednesday when they will host the Milwaukee Bucks at the Golden 1 Center. The Bucks are battling to hold on for a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference of the NBA.