Tag: Cleveland Cavaliers

Kings never trail in their 117-104 win over the Cavaliers on Thursday night

Published on by Charlie O. MalloneeLeave a comment
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Buddy Hield shoots a 3-point basket Photo: Charlie O. Mallonee

By Charlie O. Mallonee

SACRAMENTO — The Sacramento Kings won their 39th game of the 2018-19 season on Thursday night as they defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers 117-104. It was not an easy win. The Kings had to earn this victory. The Cavs are not a great team, but they are professional basketball players who belong on an NBA court.

The Cavs may have never held the lead in the game, but they did cut the Kings’ lead to just one point with 4:40 to go in the third quarter. Sacramento was able to make a surge in order to take a nine-point lead into the final period.

The Cavs reduced the Kings lead to just six points at the 8:03 mark in the fourth quarter, but Sacramento with the help of Marvin Bagley III and Bogdan Bogdanovic opened up a lead that would never put them in danger of losing the game again.

With the win, the Kings sweep the season series from the Cavaliers who drop to 19-60 for the campaign.

SAC is one game away from winning 40

Some fans have asked — is winning 40 a big deal? Yes, it is. The Kings won 27 games last season. Most analysts projected them win between  30-35 games this season (this reporter projected them to win 32). To improve their win-loss record by 13 wins and climb into the 40-wins stratosphere is psychologically a big deal for a young team.

As a Western Conference team, the Kings will have to win 45-47 games next season just to make it into the playoffs. If they can win 40 games, they will know what it takes to get where they need to be in order to reach the next level.

This team has already has recorded the best win total for a Kings deal team since the 2005-06 season. Winning game number 40 would make them the first Sacramento team to win at least 40 games since that 2005-06 team won 44 games.

Dave Joerger postgame thoughts

  • Thought it was a good win
  • Getting to 40 wins is a big deal
  • Tonight, it didn’t feel like we made a lot of shots; they did make a lot of shots
  • Out defensive activity was good — steals, deflections forced 22 turnovers
  • We took care of the ball — seven turnovers that resulted in just eight points
  • We scored points in the paint which was huge for us (SAC 62 CLE 54)
  • When we moved the ball and we got in the paint, we were more successful

Top Performances

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Fox takes it to the hoop Photo: Charlie O. Mallonee

Kings

  • Buddy Hield was the game’s leading scorer with 23 points shooting 9-for-16 from the field. He hit 5-of-11 from downtown. Hield needs just six 3-point baskets to beat Damian Lillard’s record of 599 three-pointers in the first three seasons of a players career.
  • Bogdan Bogdanovic had a strong game coming off the bench to score 18 points in just over 27 minutes of playing time. “Bogi” shot 7-for-13 from the floor including four 3-point baskets. He also dished out five assists. Bogdanovic seemed to play with more energy than he has in some time.
  • De’Aaron Fox bounced back nicely after having a disappointing game versus the Rockets. Fox recorded a double-double scoring 16 points and distributing 10 dimes.
  • Marvin Bagley III played only 20 minutes, but he made the most of his time on the floor. MB35 put up 15 points and grabbed eight rebounds. His play was very important to the Kings opening up their lead in the fourth quarter.
  • Odd facts: the Kings were outrebounded by the Cavs 50-36 in this game. The Kings made 12 steals while the Cavaliers managed only three steals. Sacramento only turned the ball over seven times while Cleveland turned over 22 times.

Cleveland

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Larry Nance, Jr, jams home Photo: Charlie O. Mallonee
  • Jordan Clarkson was the Cavs leading scorer with 22 points. Clarkson came off the bench to play just over 31 minutes and shoot 9-for-13 from the field.
  • Point guard Colin Sexton was very impressive in almost 38 minutes on the floor. For a player who is not supposed to shoot well, he was very impressive as a shooter. Sexton hit 8-of-14 shots overall and 3-of-5 from 3-point land.
  • Second-year player Cedi Osman recorded 17 points and three assists. He was key to the Cavs first half performance.
  • Cleveland shot 54.3-percent (44/81) for the game and hit 11-of-25 (44%) 3-point attempts.

Up Next

The Kings left immediately after the game for Salt Lake City where they will play the Jazz on Friday night.

The Cavaliers boarded their buses and headed for the Bay Area where they will face the Golden State Warriors tomorrow night.

Updated story with video: Kings lose 2 players, get 2 new players and lose to the Rockets 127-101

Published on by Charlie O. MalloneeLeave a comment
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Bogdan Bogdanovic scores 2 of his 13 points Photo: Jordan Chapin SportsRadioService.com

By Charlie O. Mallonee

Updated with interviews and trade information: Sacramento — It was a wild and crazy Wednesday night for the Sacramento Kings. Two hours before game time, the Kings completed a three-team with the Houston Rockets and the Cleveland Cavaliers that sent Iman Shumpert to the Rockets. The Kings will receive shooting Alex Burks from the Cavaliers.

Then just as the game was getting underway, everyone’s Twitter feeds on press row went crazy as word leaked out that the Kings had just completed another trade that sent Justin Jackson and Zach Randolph to the Mavericks for former Golden State Warriors forward Harrison Barnes.

Charlie O picks the story up from there:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Harden hits a 3-ball that becomes a 4-point play when Bogi is called for a foul Photo: Jordan Chapin SportsRadioService.com

Buddy Hield on the trades and his view of things going forward

 

 

 

De’Aaron Fox is ready to carry on following the trades

 

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Harry Giles III puts a floater up over Kenneth Faried on Wednesday night Photo: Jordan Chapin SportsRadioService.com

The trades 

H. Barnes
Harrison Barnes returns to Northern California

The big deal of the night happened just as the game began on Wednesday night and the Mavericks game was in progress with Harrison Barnes on the floor. The Kings sent forward Justin Jackson and Zach Randolph to Dallas in exchange for the former Golden State forward.

Barnes will become an Unrestricted Free Agent in 2020. He is slated to make just over $25-million in 2019-20 but that is a player option contract which means Barnes could be a rental or an important piece for next season.

The Mavericks get a developing small forward in Justin Jackson who has seen a great deal of playing against the “best of the west” because the Kings needed his talents on the floor quickly. He will be a fine second-unit player for Dallas.

Zach Randolph is a part of the deal to make the money work under NBA guidelines and because he is an expiring contract. Randolph is not likely to wear a Dallas uniform.

Burks
Alec Burks is the newest member of the Sacramento Kings

The trade that brings Alec Burks to Sacramento is more complicated than the Barnes trade. It is a three-team trade involving the Kings, Rockets, and Cavaliers.

The irony is that it was a walk across the arena to the other locker room deal as Iman Shumpert was traded by the Kings to the Houston Rockets who Sacramento hosted last night. That really did not happen because of NBA rules that require trades be “blessed” by the league office before they can be finalized. Shumpert actually said goodbye to his teammates and left the Golden 1 Center before the game began Wednesday night.

The Kings received Burks who is an eight-year veteran of “the Association”. He has averaged 11.6 points, 5.5 points, and 2.9 assists per game in 34 contests for the Cavs this season. Burks also played for the Utah Jazz. Sacramento received a 2020 second-round draft pick as a part of the trade package.

Cleveland receives guard Brandon Knight, “local product” and former Kings draft pick Marquese Chriss, and a 2019 lottery protected first-round draft pick from Houston.

Cleveland sent guards Nik Stauskas (a former King) and Wade Baldwin who they acquired from Portland for Rodney Hood to the Rockets to complete the deal.

Trades in the NBA are never easy.

Up next

All of the players involved in the trades have 48 hours to report to their new teams. The Kings host the Miami Heat on Friday night when Dwyane Wade will make his final visit to Sacramento as a player. There is a chance that Burks and Barnes could play in that game, but it is more likely they will be playing on Sunday when Phoenix comes to town.

The Rockets returned to Houston after the game on Wednesday. They will play the OKC Thunder on Saturday night on national television. That should be enough for all of the new Rockets to report and be available to play in that game.

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The “old guard” and the “new guard” Photo: Jordan Chapin SportsRadioService.com

NBA podcast with Jerry Feitelberg: Mavs score big on Hornets; Richardson leads the way in Heat’s win; Beal gets 24 in Wizards’ win; plus more

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Photo credit: @RamonaSteve7

On the NBA podcast with Jerry Feitelberg:

#1 The Dallas Mavericks (18-19) topped the Charlotte Hornets (18-19) 122-84. For Dallas, Luke Doncic and Dennis Smith Jr each had 28 points to lead the Mavs.

#2 The Miami Heat (18-18) downed the Cleveland Cavaliers (8-30) 117-92. The Heat’s Josh Richardson led with 24 points.

#3 The Washington Wizards (15-23) get a 114-98 win over the visiting Atlanta Hawks (11-26) Alex Len led the Hawks with 24 points and Bradley Beal led the Wizards with 24 points.

#4 The Brooklyn Nets (18-21) got a five-point win past the New Orleans Pelicans (17-22) 126-121. For the Nets, D’Angelo Russell led the Pelicans with 22 points.

#5 The Boston Celtics (22-15) got a big win past the Minnesota Timberwolves (17-21) at the Garden. The Celtics’ Gordon Hayward led all scorers with 35 points.

Join Jerry for the NBA podcasts each Thursday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Kings run and gun Friday night to beat the Cavs 129-110 at the “Q”

Published on by Charlie O. MalloneeLeave a comment
Cavs Kings NBCS
Photo:@NBCSKings

By Charlie O. Mallonee

The Sacramento Kings won their third game in a row and the second game of this four-game road trip on Friday night as they took down the hapless Cleveland Cavaliers 129-110 at the Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland. It was the Cavs’ second loss in three days to a Northern California team as they were beaten by the Warriors at the “Q” on Wednesday night.

Sacramento was coming off a convincing win over the Phoenix Suns on Tuesday night and knew they had a chance to add to their win total on this road trip if they just focused on playing their type of basketball.

On Friday night, the Kings taught the Cavs what Sactown basketball is all about.

SAC ran CLE into the ground

  • The Kings outscored the Cavaliers 72-42 in the paint
  • SAC had a 57.1 FG% (56/98) and was 13-for-29 (44.9%) from 3-point land
  • The Kings recorded 19 second chance points to the Cavs’ 8
  • Sacramento had 35 rebounds — 10 were offensive rebounds
  • Cleveland also booked 35 rebounds, but only 7 were on offense
  • The Kings outscored the Cavs on the Fast Break 12-5
  • SAC had 30 assists and just nine turnovers (12 CLE points)
  • CLE dished out 20 assists, but turned the ball over 18 times (31 SAC points)

Outstanding individual efforts by Kings players

cavs kings nbcs 2
Photo: @NBCSKings
  • De’Aaron Fox was the game’s high scorer with 30 points and he made it a double-double by dishing out 12 assists (some of which were Top 10 worthy)
  • Buddy Hield recorded 25 points, sinking 9-of-17 shots (5-of-8 3-pointers)
  • Marvin Bagley III returned to action after missing two games and put up 17 points in just over 25 minutes on the floor
  • Bogdanovic 15; Bjelica 13; Cauley-Stein 10; Jackson 7; Koufos 6; Shumpert 6

Cleveland leaders

  • Jordan Clarkson was the leading scorer for the Cavs with 26 points
  • Guard Colin Sexton put up 23
  • The just added Alec Burks put 22 points and 7 rebounds in the book

It has to be said

The Kings record now stands at 13-11 for the season which gives them sole possession of eighth place in the Western Conference. Yes, that means if the season ended today the Kings would be in the playoffs. That cannot be ignored.

Dwelling in the cellar

The Cavs record is now 5-20 after the loss to the Kings. They are now tied for 14th or last-place in the NBA Eastern Conference with the Atlanta Hawks.

The Cavaliers made big news before the game

Cavs Delly
Photo:@Cavaliers

Cleveland took part on Friday in a three-team, five-player trade that involved the Cavs, Bucks, and Wizards. Some well-traveled veterans went to new teams while others went home to places where they have played before.

The Cavaliers sent veteran guard (and former King) George Hill to the Milwaukee Bucks along with forward Jason Smith.

The Cavs received Matthew Dellavedova — who was a very popular player in Cleveland before leaving in free agency — and center John Henson from Milwaukee.

The Wizards get Sam Dekker from Cleveland via Milwaukee along with draft picks.

The Cavs end up with the 2021 first and second-round draft picks from the Bucks. They also get a 2022 second-round pick from the Wizards.

Milwaukee winds up with a 2021 second-round selection from Washington.

Finally, the Wizards get a 2021 draft pick from the Cavs.

All of these draft picks have conditions tied to them. If you want the complete details, go to NBA.com transactions.

Up Next

The Kings will be back in action on Saturday night in Indianapolis when they will take on the Indiana Pacers. The Kings beat the Pacers 111-110 last Saturday night in Sacramento and Indiana will have revenge on their minds.

The Cavs will host the Washington Wizards on Saturday night.

Warriors crush the Cavs 129-105 in Cleveland on Wednesday night

Published on by Charlie O. MalloneeLeave a comment
GSW final
Graphic: @Warriors

By Charlie O. Mallonee

In every sport, there are certain teams that every other team wants to play because they know the chances of coming away with a “W” is so great that they can taste victory before the game begins. When “King James” ruled the city by the lake, that was not the case. Going to play in the “Q” was something to be feared.

Now that LeBron has taken his “talents” to SoCal and the Lakers, playing in the “Q” has become a place for teams to get healthy. The Cavs best player Kevin Love is unavailable due to left foot surgery, and no one would be surprised if Love does not demand to be traded to a competitive team.

Things are so bad in Cleveland that the Cavaliers were the first team in the NBA to fire their head coach. Tyronn Lue who coached the Cavs to an NBA Championship in 2016 was fired after Cleveland started the season 0-6 with LeBron James in “Lakerland” and Kevin Love ailing.

The Warriors entered the game on Wednesday night with a record of 16-9 to do battle with a Cleveland squad that had recorded a record of 5-18.

Tough Road Trip
This was game four of a five-game road trip for the Warriors. They entered the contest 1-2 on the trip. The W’s had lost games in Toronto and Detroit but had bounced back into the win column in the ATL on Monday night. A victory in Cleveland was really mandatory if this was to be a successful road trip for Golden State.

GSW Thompson to hoop
Thompson to the basket Photo: @Warriors

First Half Battle
The Cavs served notice in the first half that they were not going to just roll over and die because they were facing the defending NBA Champion Golden State Warriors. GSW held a six-point at the end of the first quarter, but Cleveland turned it up a notch in the second period.

Cleveland shot 68.2-percent from the floor (15/22) in the second quarter and hit seven 3-point baskets. The Cavs outscored the Warriors 39-27 for the period behind the scoring of Cedi Osman (8 pts), Jordan Clarkson (8 pts) and Larry Nance Jr. (7 pts). The Cavs also outscored the Warriors on 2nd Chance Points 8-0 in the quarter.

At the half, Cleveland held a 64-58 lead over the Golden State Warriors.

Time to go to school
The Warriors came out of the locker room after halftime fired up and ready to play. Kevin Durant led the charge for the “W’s” as he scored 15 points, grabbed five rebounds and dished out two assists in the period. Durant hit 6-of-9 shots – three of which were 3-point baskets.

GSW outscored the Cavs 12-2 on the Fast Break in the quarter.

At the end of three quarters, Golden State was leading Cleveland 95-86.

Turn Out the Lights
The Cavs’ final demise came in the fourth period when Stephen Curry came alive and scored 12-points shooting 2-for-4 from the floor (both 3-point baskets) and converted 6-for-6 in opportunities from the free throw line.

Klay Thompson and Quinn Cook also added eight points apiece in the final period as the Warriors outscored the Cavaliers 34-19 in last 12 minutes of the contest.

When the final buzzer sounded, the Golden State Warriors (17-9) had defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers (5-19) 129-105. For the Warriors, it was their second consecutive win.

Top Performers

GSW Prime Logo

Golden State

  • Leading scorer: Steph Curry 42 points (also game high) to go with nine rebounds
  • Double-double: Kevin Durant 25 points and 10 rebounds (9 assists)
  • FG% 52.9 (45/85)  3FG% 52.9 (18/34)  29 Assists 9 Turnovers (17 CLE pts)

Cleveland

  • Leading scorer: Colin Sexton 21 points (7/14 shooting)
  • Double-double: Tristan Thompson 14 points and 19 rebounds
  • Wow: George Hill 25:13 on the floor 0 points and 3 assists

Steve Kerr on Curry
“It’s pretty rare, but Steph is rare in general in everything he does. We’ve seen it before where Steph was out with an injury and comes back and starts lighting it up right away,” said Kerr. “The guy keeps himself in amazing shape – which allows him to come back pretty quickly if there is an injury.”

Up Next
The Warriors wrap up this five-game road trip on Friday night in Milwaukee versus the very tough Bucks in a nationally televised game. The game tips off at 4:00 PM PST.

The Cavs will also be in action on Friday night when they will host the upstart Sacramento Kings at the “Q”.

Durant carries Warriors to 110-102 win over Cavs; Golden State one game away from third NBA title in four years

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Photo credit: @NBAJumpshot

By Daniel Dullum
Sports Radio Service
Wednesday, June 6, 2018

LeBron James’ triple-double wasn’t enough, as another lethal third-quarter rally sparked the Golden State Warriors to a 110-102 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers in Game 3 of the NBA Finals at Quicken Loan Arena on Wednesday night.

The Warriors are up three-games-to-none in the best-of-seven series. In NBA playoff history, teams down 3-0 are 0-for-131.

Kevin Durant bagged a game-high 43 points along with with seven assists and 13 rebounds. He also hit 15-of-23 from the field, including 6-of-9 3-pointers, while making all seven of his free throws.

Draymond Green, JaVale McGee and Klay Thompson each scored 10 points. Stephen Curry was held to 11. Green had nine assists and Curry added six assists for the Warriors, who can wrap up their third championship in four years on Friday.

As a team, the Warriors shot 52 percent from the field (42-of-81).

James finished with 33 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds, but was held in check down the stretch in the fourth quarter. Kevin Love scored 20 points and grabbed 13 rebounds, and Rodney Hood contributed 15 points off the Cavs’ bench.

Durant’s 33-foot 3-pointer with 49.8 seconds left in the fourth quarter provided the dagger after Golden State surged ahead to stay minutes earlier on Curry’s 3 with 2:20 remaining.

After Curry’s 3-ball put the Warriors up 101-97, James hit a 3-pointer to pull the Cavaliers to within 101-100. But after Durant’s deep 3-ball, James made a layup, but Golden State responded with Green’s spread-offense layup with 25 seconds left, putting the Warriors up 108-102.

The Cavaliers led by as many as 13 in the second quarter, leading 58-52 at halftime. Golden State opened the third quarter with a 15-3 run.

Cleveland regained the lead at 87-86 with 9:47 left in the fourth quarter, and the lead swung back-and-forth for the next seven minutes.

Green passed Wilt Chamberlain for the Warriors’ total playoff rebound record. Green has 923 boards in 100 playoff games, while Chamberlain pulled down 922 playoff rebounds for the Warriors in 36 contests.

James, meanwhile, broke a tie with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and moved into fourth place for most NBA playoff games played (238).

Up Next: It’s do-or-die for the Cavs in Friday’s Game 4 against the Warriors. Tipoff is set for 6:00 pm PDT on ABC.

Curry makes nine 3-point shots to lead Warriors to a 122-103 rout of Cavs

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by Jerry Feitelberg

Oakland- The Golden State Warriors started the game with an intensity that was lacking in Game one of the Finals and the maintained it as the beat the Cavaliers 122-103 to take lead the Cavs 2-0 in the best-seven-series.

The Warriors came out smoking and raced to an early 15-6 lead. The Warriors never relinquished the lead. The Cavaliers made several runs to get back in the game but the Warriors defense would not let them. Draymond Green, Kevin Durant, Klay Thompson were factors in stopping the Cavalier offense. Warriors coach Steve Kerr made a change in the starting lineup that paid dividends. He started JaVale McGee in place of Kevon Looney and McGee came through with a terrific performance. His stat line showed that he scored 12 points and had 2 rebounds, but he was tenacious on defense.

The Warriors raced out to a 32-28 lead after the first quarter. The Cavs, led by LeBron James, closed the gap to four at the end of the first period. They were hoping to take the lead in the second quarter, but the Warriors outscored them 27-18 to lead 59-46 at the end of the first half.

The Warriors, who usually blow away opponents in the third quarter, scored 31. The Cavs scored 34 to cut the deficit to 10 after three periods of play. Curry, Durant, Green, and Thompson decided to not allow the Cavs back into the game. Steph made several 3’s in the third and fourth quarters. He made the shot of the game in the fourth quarter when he made a three-pointer with Kevin Love draped all over him and the shot clock was about to expire. Steph’s legend grew as he made a shot that mere mortals could only dream of making. The Dubs outscored the Cavs 32-23 and Cavs’ coach Tyron Lue put in his bench with less than 4 minutes to go in the game. The Warriors win 122-103.

Game Notes- The Warriors, led by Draymond Green, unleashed their ferocious defense and kept the Cvs’ offense to 41% from the floor. The Cavs made nine 3-point shots in 27 attempts. Draymond Green had this to say about the team playing defense:”I don’t think we’re close to our ceiling, which is good for us. I think we can play so much better.”

Steph Curry finished the night with 33 points. Kevin Durant snapped out of his scoring slump with 26 points. KD also had 7 assists and 9 rebounds. Klay finished with 20. Draymond scored just 5, but he had 7 assists and 8 boards. Shaun Livingston, coming off the bench, had 10.

LeBron James, who scored 51 points Thursday, tallied 29. He had 20 in the first half and the Warriors defense held him to just 9 in the second. Kevin Love helped the Cavs with22. Tristan Thompson added 11, and George Hill knocked down 15. The Entire Cavs’ bench had just 21.

The Warriors shot a very impressive 57.3% from the floor and 41.7% from 3-point range. The Cavaliers outrebounded the Dubs 42-41. Cleveland again dominated the offensive boards as they had 16 while the Warriors had just 7.

Game Three will be played in Cleveland on Wednesday at 6 pm.

Cavs’ LeBron scores 51, but Warriors take Game 1 with 124-114 win

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Photo credit: @triplebszn

By: Ana Kieu

The rivalry continued as the Golden State Warriors and Cleveland Cavaliers met in the NBA Finals for the fourth straight year.

Dub Nation was excited to see their boys at Oracle Arena, and without a doubt, the players cleaned up nice before Game 1. Meanwhile, Wine and Gold Nation threw a watch party at the Quicken Loans Arena, courtesy of Budweiser.

Actress and San Jose, Calif., native Nayah Damasen, best known for her appearances on “Grey’s Anatomy” as Kimmie Park, sang the National Anthem. Damasen previously sung the anthem in the 2015 NBA Finals.

Steph Curry got the home crowd pumping with a 3-pointer to get the Warriors on the board. Curry later found Jordan Bell for the wide-open dunk.

Klay Thompson suffered what appeared to be a left lateral leg contusion, but he was re-taped and cleared to return to the game.

Both teams played their hearts out, but the Warriors trailed the Cavs 30-29 after the first quarter.

Thompson hit a three to help the Warriors grab the lead. With that three, Thompson (293) passed Kobe Bryant (292) for sixth place on the NBA’s all-time postseason threes list.

The clock was winding down, but Curry made a 30-foot buzzer beater from downtown. The Warriors evened the score 56-56 to end the first half.

At the half, Curry led all scorers with 18 points, 6 assists and 3 rebounds. Kevin Durant had 11 points, 5 assists and 4 rebounds. Thompson had 8 points. Draymond Green had 5 points, 3 steals, 2 rebounds and 2 assists. Bell had 4 points.

The Warriors opened the second half with a 10-3 run. JaVale McGee then made a 2-point field goal look easy and followed up with an incredible dunk.

Neither team played defense to the best of their respective abilities, but that was seemingly okay as both teams were tied 68-68 with about 5.5 minutes left on the clock.

The game remained fairly close as the Warriors led the Cavs 84-78 after three quarters.

The Cavs cut the deficit to just 1 with 8:52 left in regulation, thanks to Jeff Green and Kyle Korver. Cleveland was 12-17 from the line at that time.

Curry’s three put the Warriors up by six for a 100-94 lead with 4:37 left remaining. This astonishing moment came just minutes after LeBron James had his eighth 40-point game in the playoffs and third in his last five.

The Cavs had a chance to escape with a one-point win, but George Hill made just one of two free throws. The game went into overtime.

The Warriors went on a 7-0 run to start the extra period. Golden State took a 114-107 lead in less than two minutes.

The Warriors were up by 8 with 2.6 seconds left.

The Warriors took Game 1 with a 124-114 victory over the Cavs.

In the end, Curry led all scorers with 29 points, 6 rebounds and 9 assists. Durant had 26 points, 9 rebounds, 6 assists and 3 blocks. Thompson had 24 points and 3 rebounds. Green had 13 points, 11 rebounds, 9 assists, 5 steals and 3 blocks. Shaun Livingston had 10 points, 2 rebounds and 3 assists. Kevon Looney had 8 points and 4 rebounds. Bell had 4 points, 2 rebounds and 2 assists. McGee scored 4 points, 1 rebound and 1 block.

Notes
Warriors’ starters: Kevin Durant, Draymond Green, Klay Thompson, Kevon Looney and Steph Curry.

Cavs’ starters: George Hill, J.R. Smith, LeBron James, Kevin Love and Tristan Thompson.

Up Next 
The Warriors and Cavs meet again in Oakland Sunday at 6:00 pm PST on ABC.

That’s Amaury’s News and Commentary: When Hollywood Comes to Oakland

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Photo credit: nba.com/warriors

By: Amaury Pi Gonzalez

OAKLAND, Calif. — For the first time ever in the history of the United States, the same two teams are meeting for the fourth consecutive time in a series that will decide the champion. The Golden State Warriors and the Cleveland Cavaliers open the NBA Finals at the Oracle Arena Thursday night. The rivalry began in 2015 when the Warriors wiped out the Cavaliers in five games. In 2016, the Cavaliers rebounded as Lebron James, arguably the greatest player in the planet, defeated the Warriors in a grueling seven-game series. In 2017, the Warriors eliminated LeBron and company in six games.

Soon touching down at the Oakland International Airport, there will be many Lear jets bringing Hollywood celebrities to “the place to be.” Kim Kardashian, who just met with President Donald Trump in the White House to discuss prison reform, will likely be seen at Oracle Arena.

Like the previous three finals, we’ll probably see rapper Jay-Z, singer Rihanna, actor Kevin Hart, comedian Dave Chappelle, Formula One driver Lewis Hamilton, Brazilian soccer superstar Neymar and NFL players Marshawn Lynch, Solomon Thomas and Odell Beckham Jr. We could also could see rapper Drake, actor Matt Damon and many more.

Oakland is closer to the “jet set” from Hollywood, so I am pretty sure we will see more stars in Oakland than Cleveland. It is only a one and a half hour flight. That’s good enough for these celebs to have breakfast in LA and dinner in the Bay with the game in between.

I remember in the 90’s, I traveled with the Warriors as their Spanish play-by-play announcer and saw guys at mid-court like Jack Nicholson in LA and Billy Crystal in New York. Nicholson was a fixture at the old Forum in LA at every Lakers game.

The Warriors were a popular team who always sold out at home, but never won a title. The last one was under Al Attles’ 1975-76 team, who swept the Washington Bullets.

The last four years the Oracle Arena has become a “Fantasy Island” for Warriors fans in the Bay Area. They’re now are the undisputed leaders in flag displays on thousands of cars, no matter where you drive in San Francisco, Oakland or San Jose, there’s a car with one or more Warriors flags. The Warriors have become larger than life in the greater Bay Area. There will be watch parties in bars, restaurants and private homes all over the Bay Area. It is like a second Super Bowl every year. Nobody expects the Warriors to lose.

It was a long season for both of these teams. Both were taken to seven games in their respective Conference finals: Warriors by the Rockets, who really did as good as they could against a superior team, and the Cavaliers in seven games against a young and promising Boston Celtics team.

Lebron James will really have to be Superman and have all of the Marvel Heroes support him again this time if he wants to take the Cavaliers to the promised land again like in 2016.

ABC producers are busy, as they are getting the camera locations and angels during rehearsals. They will also give you a couple shots of the celebrities. They will carry the series and I will be surprised if the Cavaliers can stay with the Warriors for five games.

All games on ABC, Channel 7 for the Bay Area, in PST.

1. Thursday, May 31 | Oakland | 6 p.m.
2. Sunday, June 3 | Oakland | 5 p.m.
3. Wednesday, June 6 | Cleveland | 6 p.m.
4. Friday, June 8 | Cleveland | 6 p.m.
5. Monday, June 11 | Oakland | 6 p.m.
6. Thursday, June 14 | Cleveland | 6 p.m.
7. Sunday, June 17 | Oakland | 5 p.m.

Kings Press Row Podcast: Trade Deadline Edition

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press row podcast

Hosts Charlie O and Jordan “Chape” Chapin

  • February 8th was the NBA trade deadline and it was a very active day for the Sacramento Kings

  • Point Guard George Hill did become a Cleveland Cavalier as it had been rumored for weeks but it happened in a three team team deal that surprised many observers

  • Hill goes to Cleveland while Iman Shumpert, Joe Johnson, a 2020 second-round draft pick and cash come to Sacramento

  • In a big surprise move – Georgios Papagiannis is wavied while Malachi Richardson is sent to Toronto for Bruno Caboclo

  • Look for Johnson to be bought out while there could still be additional roster moves to come

  • Charlie O and Chape also take a look at the Kings schedule up to the All-Star break

  • This is a fun 30-minute listen for Kings fans that will bring you up to date on all the latest happenings with your favorite team