Sacramento Kings podcast with Jeremiah Salmonson: Kings host Magic Wednesday; Levine to make his first appearance

Sacramento Kings Isaac Jones (17) drives the ball against the Minnesota Timberwolves guard Rob Dillingham (4) in the first half at the Target Center in Minneapolis on Tue Feb 4, 2025 (AP News photo)

On the Sacramento Kings podcast with Jeremiah:

#1 Jeremiah, how much of the decision to move De’Aaron Fox was a Kings decision or a Fox decision. After the firing of former Kings head coach Mike Brown thing took a different turn for Fox who like working with coach Brown and wasn’t exactly happy with the change.

#2 There was that period that Fox was on the trade block, Fox a long time King was a mainstay with the team but during that trade search were the Kings having internal problems was the trade rumors a distractions.

#3 Zach Levine is the anticipated King to come aboard and the Kings are hoping he make up for the loss of Fox. He didn’t play in the Kings last game against the Minnesota Timberwolves and is expected to be in the line up on Wednesday night in Sacramento against the Orlando Magic.

#4 What role, what expectations are expected from Levine once he does get on the floor and play his first game with the Kings?

#5 The Kings had struggled and after the Fox trade to San Antonio they were able to get back in the win column which they did against the Timberwolves on Monday night. Did dealing Fox pretty much smooth out the dressing room issues of the direction of the team?

Jeremiah Salmonson does the Sacramento Kings podcasts Fridays at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Headline Sports podcast with Charlie O: Pelicans Williamson out with pulled hamstring; Would struggling Bucks trade for Giannis? More NBA news

New Orleans Pelicans Zion Williamson (1) is not too happy after being called for a foul in the second half against the Cleveland Cavaliers in Cleveland on Wed Nov 6, 2024. This would be Williamson’s last game as he later was place on the injured list with a pulled hamstring. (AP News photo)

Headline Sports podcast with Charlie O:

#1 Charlie, The New Orleans Pelicans Zion Williamson is out indefinitely with a hamstring injury he suffered the injury against the Cleveland Cavaliers on Wednesday he checked himself out of the game but returned and scored 23 points. Williamson didn’t play on Friday against the Orlando Magic. Williamson has missed four games this season. Since signing with the Pelicans in 2019 he’s missed 210 games out of 400 regular season games.

#2 The Milwaukee Bucks Giannis Antetokounmpo was critical of the Bucks loss to the New York Knicks Friday night at Madison Square Garden 116-94. The Bucks previously had a six game losing streak before beating the Utah Jazz on Thursday but turned around and lost to the Knicks on Friday. Antetokounmpo said after the loss to New York “Did we compete the previous game? Yes. Did we compete the two [games before that]? Yes. Did we compete today? No,” Do you see Giannis getting discouraged and there is talk about the Bucks making some trades could Antetokounmpo want out of Milwaukee?

#3 The NBA announced on Saturday that Philadelphia 76ers star Joel Embiid has been suspended for 3 games for shoving a reporter Marcus Hayes of the Philadelphia Inquirer in the Sixers locker room following the October 23rd game for reporting that Embiid was not prepared for the season and Hayes had mentioned Embiid’s son and deceased brother in the article. The suspension has delayed Embiid’s much anticipated debut for the season.

#4 The Cleveland Cavaliers are smoking hot right now. They won their tenth straight game and scored 110 points or more in each of those ten games defeating the Golden State Warriors 136-117 on Friday night. Ironically the Warriors were the last team to start a season at 10-0 back in the 2015-16 season. The Cavs Kenny Atkinson said that he was concerned before the game playing a championship team like the Warriors but after the game said the Cavaliers are a prepared and hungry team.

#5 The Los Angeles Clippers Norman Powell was the difference maker on Friday night against the Sacramento Kings scoring 31 points with 12 rebounds in the Clippers 107-98 win at Golden One Center in Sacramento. James Harden added 22 points the Clips offense overshadowed the efforts of the Kings De’Aaron Fox with 31 points, Domantas Sabonis with 23 points and 12 rebounds. Big win for the Clippers, tough loss for the Kings.

Join Charlie O for the Kings podcasts each Sunday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Sacramento Kings podcast with Barbara Mason: Robinson out a month for knee injury, GM McNair says DeRozan will be big help on defense

Sacramento Kings center Orlando Robinson will be on the shelf for four weeks following an MRI indicating he sprained his MCL in his left knee. (NBA.com photo)

Sacramento Kings podcast on Barbara Mason:

#1 Injuries don’t take long to make themselves and in an NBA camp there is no exception as the Sacramento Kings center Orlando Robinson will be out for a month due to a knee injury he sustained on practice.

#2 The injury happened during practice last Thursday when Robinson hurt the knee in training camp at the Golden One Center. After tests from an MRI revealed he had sprained an MCL in his left knee. He’s been shelved and will be evaluated in four weeks.

#3 The Sacramento Kings general manager Monte McNair said that he believes in the defense and that McNair believed that the Kings lacked the defense to be competitive. After acquiring DeMar DeRozan from the Chicago Bulls believes that DeRozan can be a defensive presence as well.

#4 This season coming in Domantas Sabonis has been a force and the Kings will rely on his offense scoring this season as well. Last season during the 2024-25 campaign Sabonis scored 19.4 points, 13.7 rebounds, 8.2 assists, and had a 59.4% field goal average.

#5 De’Aaron Fox is someone the Kings are looking forward to in getting help with ball distribution, scoring and getting the ball either to Fox or dishing it off to someone who will score. Fox last season averaged 26.6 points, 4.6 rebounds, 5.6 assists, and shot 46.5% from the field.

Join Barbara for the Sacramento Kings podcasts Mondays at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Sacramento Kings podcast with Jeremiah Salmonson: Fox, Sabonis and DeRozan expected to do some good things this year for Sac

Sacramento Kings De’Aaron Fox (5) dunks over Golden State Warriors Draymond Green (23) and Klay Thompson (11) on Tue Apr 16, 2024. Fox is excited about the upcoming 2024-25 season as the Kings will play their first pre season game on Wed Oct 9, 2024 against the Warriors ( AP file photo)

On the Sacramento Kings podcast with Jeremiah:

#1 The Sacramento Kings  De’Aaron Fox, Domantas Sabonis, and DeMar DeRozan are looking to start the season they brought some excitement last season.

#2 Jeremiah we’ll take a look at De’Aaron Fox first last season with 26 points, 5.6 assists he’s a huge offensive callous for the Kings.

#3 Domantas Sabonis last season with 19.4 points and 8.2 assists he helped the Kings win some big games

#4 DeMar DeRozan is looking forward to this season. DeRozan 24 points and 5.3 assists how do you see him fitting in the Kings offense.

#5 The Kings were dropped by ESPN in the power rankings to 18th going into this season do you see them improving that number.

Join Jeremiah Salmonson for the Sacramento Kings podcasts Fridays at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Sacramento Kings podcast with Jeremiah Salmonson: Tough week for coach Brown $50K fine for NBA official dispute; Loses a good friend in coach Milojevic

It hasn’t been a good week for Sacramento Kings head coach Mike Brown as seen here being retrained by Malik Monk (right) on Sun Jan 14, 2024 going after NBA official Intae Hwang and later being thrown out in a game against the Milwaukee Bucks at Fiserv Arena in Milwaukee (AP News photo)

On the Sacramento Kings podcast with Jeremiah:

#1 Jeremiah, it has been no doubt a horrible week for Sacramento Kings head coach Mike Brown starting last Sunday with his argument with an official concerning De’Aaron Fox getting roughed up by the Milwaukee Bucks and getting non foul calls at Fiserv Arena in Milwaukee.

#2 Also Brown fined primarily for coming on the floor and standing and arguing with the official and then in his post game press conference used a lap top to show where the official made the mistake.

#3 NBA head of operations Joe Dumars said he assessed the $50,000 fine on Brown for “aggressively pursuing a game official during live play, and for publicly criticizing the officiating.” Brown pursued official Intae Hwang when he went onto the court and two players one of them Malik Monk had to restrain him.

#4 Brown on Wednesday after learning of the passing of Golden State Warriors assistant coach Dejan Milojevic called him a great man saying he will be sorely missed by everyone. Coach Brown was an assistant while coach Milojevic was also assistant coach in San Francisco.

#5 Jeremiah you had a chance to cover Thursday’s game against the Indiana Pacers at Golden 1. The Kings were coming off a three game losing streak. Talk about the Kings first game of this brief two game homestand with the Atlanta Hawks up next on Monday night.

Jeremiah Salmonson does the Sacramento Kings podcasts Fridays at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Kings defeat Jazz 130-114 in Salt Lake City

Photo credit: @SacramentoKings

By Mary Anne

The Sacramento Kings took on the Utah Jazz on Wednesday night. The Kings defeated the Jazz 130-114 at Delta Center. Sacramento improved to 1-0, while Utah fell to 1-0 to open the 2023-24 NBA season.

Harrison Barnes led the Kings with 33 points and four rebounds and was 11-for-16 from the field goal line. Domantas Sabonis recorded 22 points and 12 rebounds. De’Aaron Fox scored 18 points and six assists. Mailk Monk added ten points and seven assists.

The Kings’ starting lineup featured De’Aaron Fox, Kevin Huerter, Harrison Barnes, Keegan Murray, and Domantas Sabonis. Fox got his first bucket of the season early in the first quarter. In addition, Sabonis capitalized on a three-pointer opportunity in the first. The Kings ended the first on a 12-4 run and led 32-24 over the Jazz.

The Kings continued to succeed in the second quarter. Chris Duarte made his first regular season bucket, Harrison Barnes poured in the points, and Sacramento went back-to-back from three-point land.

The Kings led the Jazz 72-58 at the end of the first half. Harrison Barnes had 27 points and four rebounds and 10-for-11 from the field goal line and 5-for-5 from the three-point line — the most points in a first half in the opening game of the season by a Kings player since the 1996-97 NBA season, passing Kevin Martin, who had 24 at the Oklahoma City Thunder on October 28, 2009.

The Kings reached the 100-point plateau in the third quarter. Malik Monk’s noteworthy dunk helped the Kings to a 20-point lead, 102-82, with 40 seconds left in the third. The Kings led the Jazz 105-87 after three quarters.

The Kings maintained composure in the fourth quarter. Domantas Sabonis waited patiently around three Jazz defenders to shoot his shot, which hit the rim, late in the fourth. The Kings beat the Jazz 130-114.

Notes
Kings’ injury update
Chris Duarte (left knee) is available, while Trey Lyles (left calf strain) and Jalen Slawson (illness) are out.

Up Next
The Kings will return home to host the Golden State Warriors on Friday night at 7:00 p.m. Pacific.

Sacramento Kings report: Kings lose to Warriors 116-115 in preseason thriller

Photo credit: @SacramentoKings

By Mary Anne

The Sacramento Kings took on the Golden Warriors in the second game of the home-and-home preseason series. The Kings lost to the Warriors 116-115 at Chase Center on Wednesday night. Sacramento fell to 0-4, while Golden State improved to 4-0 and remained undefeated.

De’Aaron Fox led all scorers with 25 points and seven rebounds. Keegan Murray scored 24 points and eight rebounds. Davion Mitchell added 14 points.

The Kings’ starting lineup featured De’Andre Fox, Kevin Huerter, Harrison Barnes, Keegan Murray, and Domantas Sabonis. Murray hit a fast three-pointer to help the Kings get on the board first, and Murray led all scorers early on, shooting 3-5 from the field, in the first quarter. The Kings merely led 23-22 at the end of the first.

The Kings continued to pour in the points in the second quarter, but the Warriors hit quite a few three-pointers, such as Andrew Wiggins’ three-pointer, to avoid falling behind by double-digits. The Kings carried a 56-49 lead to the locker room at the end of the first half.

The Warriors initially trailed by more than a dozen, but they picked up the pace and made it a four-point game, 68-64, with 6:08 left in the third quarter before a TV timeout. The Kings, however, made it rain with three-pointers, including Keegan Murray’s three-pointer. The Kings led 91-76 after three quarters.

Kings rookies Malik Monk and Colby Jones showed some range in the fourth quarter. Warriors veteran point guard Chris Paul hit a three-pointer late in the fourth. The game went down to the wire. Warriors star Stephen Curry hit a late three-pointer to make it a two-point game, 115-113, but Warriors power forward Dario Šarić missed a pair of free throws. The Kings’ challenge was tossed out, and the Warriors had the ball for the remaining 10.7 seconds. The Warriors sealed the scoring with a three-pointer for a 116-115 win.

Notes
Kings shooting guard Chris Duarte was out with a left knee injury.

Kings rookie Malik Monk recently talked about his fashion choices in a new episode of the show “NBA Style” on the NBA App. Watch Monk’s recent appearance here.

The Kings will hold their NBA 2K24 3v3 Tournament at Fan Fest on Saturday, October 21. Sign up here.

Up Next
The Kings will return home to host the Utah Jazz on Thursday night at 7:00 p.m. Pacific.

Kings lose to Lakers 109-101 in second preseason game

Photo credit: @LakersNation

By Mary Anne

The Sacramento Kings faced the Los Angeles Lakers for their preseason game No. 2, the battle of NorCal vs. SoCal, on Wednesday night. The Kings lost to the Lakers 109-101 at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California. Sacramento fell to 0-2, while Los Angeles improved to 2-1.

De’Aaron Fox led the Kings in scoring with 18 points, six assists, and three rebounds. Domantas Sabonis added ten points, 15 rebounds, and five assists.

The Kings’ starting lineup featured De’Aaron Fox, Kevin Huerter, Harrison Barnes, Sasha Vezenkov, and Domantas Sabonis. Vezenkov’s pregame buckets were spectacular, to say the least.

The Kings trailed the Lakers 30-28 at the end of the first quarter. As a result, Sacramento had some work to do, despite their money plays, such as De’Aaron Fox’s mid-range floater, Trey Lyles’ triple, etc.

The Kings took a 51-50 lead at the end of the first half. The highlight of the second quarter was the Kings’ eight three-pointers — the eighth scored by Kevin Huerter late in the quarter.

The Kings picked up where they left off, but the Lakers’ offense sizzled and star point guard D’Angelo Russell was on fire. Harrison Barnes scored another triple to open the second half and Domantas Sabonis recorded a double-double with ten points and 15 rebounds, but the Kings fell behind and trailed the Lakers 90-79 at the end of three quarters.

The Kings made it rain with triples in the fourth quarter. The Lakers’ bench, however, was excited for Alex Fudge’s hustle Wednesday night. Fudge, a small forward and power forward, is a two-way player for the Los Angeles Lakers and the South Bay Lakers. Despite last-minute efforts, the Kings ultimately lost 109-101 to the Lakers.

Notes
When asked about the Kings’ upcoming game against the Lakers, shooting guard Malik Monk told the media: “We got to keep building the chemistry in the second unit, and…keep encouraging each other.”

When talking to the media, head coach Mike Brown said: “What you guys are watching isn’t necessarily how it’s going to play out in the regular season.”

Up Next
The Kings will host the Golden State Warriors at the Golden 1 Center on Sunday at 6:00 p.m. Pacific.

Kings lose 112-99 to Raptors in first preseason game

Photo credit: @SacramentoKings

By Mary Anne

The defending NBA Pacific Division champion Sacramento Kings took on the Toronto Raptors in their first preseason game on Sunday. The Kings lost 112-99 to the Raptors at Rogers Arena in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Sacramento fell to 0-1, while Toronto improved to 1-0.

Sasha Vezenkov led the Kings with 12 points and two rebounds. Harrison Barnes and Keegan Murray scored 11 points apiece.

Kings head coach Mike Brown talked to the media ahead of the team’s preseason game No. 1. Brown said: “Whoever is out on the floor, we expect them to play our basketball at the highest of high levels.”

The Kings took an early 2-0 lead thanks to Keegan Murray’s flawless finish at the rim. Murray, a power forward, was part of the 2023 NBA All-Rookie First Team. The Kings poured in the points, such as a tough pick and roll between Malik Monk and JaVale McGee, but the Raptors had an offensive boost late in the first quarter. The Kings and Raptors were tied 35-35 at the end of the first.

The Raptors went on a 6-2 run for a 41-37 lead to open the second quarter. The Kings picked up the pace. Domantas Sabonis fought through contact for a three-pointer but settled for a two-pointer to cut the Raptors’ lead to 58-52 late in the second. The Kings trailed the Raptors 69-55 at halftime.

The 2023 EuroLeague MVP, Sasha Vezenkov, entered the game late in the third quarter and scored his first NBA bucket, but the Kings fell behind. The Raptors led 90-67 with a little over two minutes left in the third. The Kings scored eight points to make it a 20-point game with 59 seconds remaining in a back-and-forth game but trailed the Raptors 95-74 at the end of the third.

The Raptors reached the 100-point mark early in the fourth quarter. The Kings trailed 102-77 with 8:06 left in the fourth, pulled within 15 with 2:54 left in regulation, and Jalen Slawson hustled to chase down a block. But the Kings’ comeback attempt ultimately failed and resulted in a 112-99 loss.

The Kings will take on the Los Angeles Lakers on Wednesday at 7:00 p.m. Pacific.

Sacramento Kings Fox doubtful for game 5 Wednesday night

Sacramento Kings guard De’Aaron Fox (5) will most likely sit out game 5 with a left hand finger injury he sustained in the fourth quarter in game 4 against the Golden State Warriors at the Chase Center in San Francisco (AP News photo)

Kings Dealt Devastating Blow

By Barbara Mason

As if the loss to the Warriors Sunday afternoon was not bad enough, the Kings were dealt a huge blow after the game. It was learned that De’Aaron Fox had apparently suffered a fractured fingertip on his left index finger. He is doubtful for game five in Sacramento.

Fox is considering playing through the pain with some sort of protective covering on his finger. The Kings will just have to wait and see what the team and Fox will determine. Had the Kings won Sunday night’s game they could have held Fox out for two games although an additional week of rest would not change much of anything.

He may have had time to practice shooting with the protective covering but the bottom line is they did not win and they will just have to deal with what fate has placed in their path. Fractured fingers typically take three to four weeks to heal. We will see what the Kings trainers come up with. They have kept these guys for the most part healthy this season and so the team can only hope that they have just the right solution for this injury.

It will be a no-brainer that the Warriors will take full advantage of the injury and do all they can to exacerbate the injury. Unfortunately it’s all about winning and nothing more enters into the equation. Sacramento will have to work hard to get past this one. It is a tall order and from what we have seen in these playoffs, the Kings play hard and with a lot of heart and they will take this in stride and give game five all they’ve got.