Tag: De’Aaron Fox

Kings crush the Bulls 129-102 on St. Patty’s Day

Published on by Charlie O. MalloneeLeave a comment
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Bagley shoots over Lopez Photo: Charlie O. Mallonee

by Charlie O. Mallonee

The Sacramento Kings broke up a three-game losing streak on Sunday by devouring the hapless Chicago Bulls 129-102 before a delighted sellout crowd at the Golden 1 Center. After returning home from a very disappointing four-game road trip that saw the team pick up just one victory, the young Kings were in need of something to put a smile back on their faces. There were plenty of smiles after the game on St. Patrick’s Day.

Kings head coach Dave Joerger said, “… they do work so hard, it’s fun to see them get the result that does make them feel good.”

The teams played a tough first quarter that saw seven lead changes and four ties. It appeared that the Bulls had arrived ready to put up a fight on Sunday.

Sacramento was trailing 23-21 with 6.7-seconds to go in the first quarter. Bogdan Bogdanovic brought the ball up the court while watching the clock, took a step back behind the 3-point line, and sank a 26-foot shot to give the Kings a 24-23 lead at the end of the first period.

The Kings would never trail in the game again.

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The bigs crash the boards Photo: Charlie O. Mallonee

Why did the Kings win?

  1. Sacramento was ready for a win, and they came out willing to work for it. Dave Joerger revealed after the game that their plan was to work the for a shot in the paint early in the possession (four to six seconds) then start looking for open shots outside if layups were not available. The Kings outscored the Bulls 80-56 in the paint.
  2. The Kings shot the basketball very well in the contest. They shot 52.4-percent (54/103) overall and 34.8-percent (8/23) from 3-point land. They also converted 13-of-16 (81.2%) or their free throw attempts. Poor free throw shooting had hurt them on the road trip.
  3. The Kings also banged on the boards. Sacramento out-rebounded Chicago 48-39. They also outdid their opponent on the offensive glass 15-10. The Kings scored 23 2nd chance points to 15 for the Bulls.
  4. Sacramento continued to take very good care of the basketball as they turned it over just 12 times (13 CHI points) while the Bulls turned it over 20 times (25 SAC points).

Top Performances

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Bogi challenges Lopez Photo: Charlie O. Mallonee

Kings

  • Marvin Bagley III played an amazing 21-minutes of basketball (we believe the minutes restriction from his knee injury is still in place). He scored a game-high 21-points by shooting 9-for-14 from the field and going a perfect 3-for-3 from the charity stripe. MB35 also grabbed nine rebounds and dished out two assists.
  • The other young big – Harry Giles III – also played 21-minutes. H20 scored 16 points while shooting 8-for-14 in the contest. He also hauled in six rebounds, added three assists and blocked three shots.
  • And those other guys: De’Aaron Fox scored 17 points, Buddy Hield, 16, Harrison Barnes 15, Willey Cauley-Stein 9, Bjelica 8, and Bogdanovic 8.
  • All 13 players on the active roster saw playing in the game on Sunday.

Chicago

  • Zach LaVine was the leading scorer for the Bulls with 18 points. You may remember that Kings tried to get LaVine in the off-season, but the Bulls matched the Sacramento offer to keep talented guard in Chicago.
  • The real star for the Bulls is “tankathon”. Chicago is 19-52 on the season and their real goal is to finish with the best chance to get the number one pick in the NBA Draft Lottery in June. Right now, they have the fourth worst record in the league and have a 12.5-percent chance in Zion Williamson sweepstakes. It is tough to be too motivated when you know your team’s goal is to be “the biggest loser”.

Import Milestone

The Kings record improved to 34-35 after the win on Sunday. That is most wins for Sacramento since back in 2007-08 when the team won 38 games. The prognosticators at FiveThirtyEight.com predict that the Kings will win 39 games this season.

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Bjelica hits the corner three Photo: Charlie O. Mallonee

Up Next

The Kings are off until Tuesday night when they will face the much improved and playoff-bound Brooklyn Nets at the Golden 1 Center.

Chicago traveled to Phoenix after the game and will play the pesky Suns on Monday night.

The playoffs are “slip, sliding away”: Kings lose to Boston 126-120

Published on by Charlie O. MalloneeLeave a comment
atbosscore
Photo/graphic: @NBCS

by Charlie O. Mallonee

On Thursday night, the Sacramento Kings record fell under .500 for the first time since January 8th when they lost to the Boston Celtics 126-120. The Kings are now 33-34 on the season after this loss on the road. They are now 1-2 on the four-game road trip with one game to go in Philadelphia on Friday night

This was once again a battle of the tiers. There are three tiers in the NBA. Tier one is the upper one-third of the teams that are guaranteed a playoff spot and have a relatively realistic chance to go deep into the playoffs.

Two tier teams are the ones that are battling for the number seven or eight slots in the playoffs and may wind up in the draft lottery with very late selections. Tier three teams are tanking to get the best shot at one of the top three picks in the draft lottery in order to turn their team around as soon as possible.

Boston is a tier one team. The Kings have made the jump from tier three to tier two this season. That has been exciting for fans, but ultimately, it is going to be painful because each loss drops the Kings further out of playoff contention.

Why did the Kings lose?

  1. The first reason the Kings lost was the play of Kyrie Irving. Irving is a closer. He is a legitimate superstar. Irving posted a triple-double scoring 31 points, dishing out 12 assists and grabbing 10 rebounds. As they said in the classic movie Glengarry Glen Ross, “Coffee is for closers.” Kyrie can have the whole pot.
  2. The Kings also lost because they did not convert their opportunities at the charity stripe into points. Sacramento went to the free throw line 23 times but put only 13 shots through the hoop. A 56.5-percent free throw shooting percentage is just unacceptable for professional basketball players. This has been an on-going problem for the Kings this season, and it is a problem that the team must address in the off-season if they are to take their game to the next level.

Kings top performers

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Photo:@NBCS
  • Buddy Hield was the game’s leading scorer with 34 points. He hit 14-of-24 shots overall and went 6-for-10 from long distance. Mr. Hield also distributed seven assists while turning the ball over just one time.
  • Willie Cauley-Stein recorded a double-double with 10 points and 13 rebounds. WCS added four assists and made zero turnovers.
  • Marvin Bagley III returned to the court and scored 14 points in just over 19 minutes of playing time. It is reasonable to believe that MB35 was playing with a minutes restriction in place. After the game, Dave Joerger said it was unfair to expect too much from Bagley having to come back in a “playoff game”.
  • De’Aaron Fox turned in another strong performance scoring 19 points while dishing out nine dimes and hauling in seven rebounds.
  • Harrison Barnes put 20 points up on the board.

Boston top performers

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Photo:@NBCS
  • Kyrie – see point 1 on why the Kings lost.
  • Jaylen Brown came off the bench to score 22 points. His play proved to be a real “back-breaker” versus the Kings.
  • Marcus Morris posted a double-double with 21 points and 12 rebounds.

Where the teams stand after the game

With the loss, the Kings remain in sole possession of ninth-place the NBA Western Conference, but they are now five games back of the eighth-place LA Clippers. The Kings have 15 games left to play in the regular season. The projection has been that they would need to win a minimum of 43 games to make the playoffs. That would mean going 10-5 in the final 15 contests.

The Celtics record improves to 42-27 on the season and Boston has a very secure hold on fifth-place in the Eastern Conference. They have a 6.5 game lead over sixth-place Brooklyn. Boston is chasing Philadelphia for fourth-place. The Sixers currently have a 1.5 game lead over the Celtics.

Up next

The Kings made the short flight to Philly and will play the very tough 76ers on Friday in the second game of a back-to-back set on the road. The tip-off is scheduled for 4:00 PM PDT.

Boston will host the scrappy Atlanta Hawks on Saturday afternoon.

The Kings playoff dreams take a hit as they lose to the Celtics 111-109

Published on by Charlie O. MalloneeLeave a comment
BOS buddy
Photo: @NBSCA

By Charlie O

SACRAMENTO– Wednesday night began with great hope for the Kings as they learned Kyrie Irving would not be playing for the Celtics due to a left thigh contusion. The betting lines immediately changed making the Kings the favorites minus two points.

The other advantage the Kings had going into the game with Boston was it was the second game of a back-to-back set on the road for the Celtics. Statistically, that also gives the home team a higher percentage chance of winning the game.

Things were going the Kings way before the game ever tipped-off. Unfortunately for Sacramento fans when the final buzzer sounded, Boston had defeated the Kings 111-109.

Why did the Kings lose?

There were two key factors that cost Sacramento the game:

  • Too many turnovers – The Kings have done an excellent job of taking care of the ball this season. In fact, it has been one of the keys to their success. On Wednesday night, Los Kings turned the ball over 18 times which resulted in 21 points for Boston. For the season, Sacramento has averaged 13.9 turnovers per game.
  • Not taking advantage of the free throw bonus – The Kings put the Celtics into the penalty in the fourth quarter with 8:25 left to play. That should have created a great advantage for Sacramento to exploit by driving to the basket and picking up a bonus free throw by getting fouled. The Kings were unable to do that. After putting Boston in the penalty, the Kings would not shoot a free throw until there was just 3:36 remaining to play. That five-minute gap without a free throw attempt may well have cost Sacramento the game.

Coach Dave Joerger was proud of his team

Kings Top Performers

  • Harrison Barnes came up big for the Kings again as he put 24 points in the book to go with eight rebounds. Barnes hit 8-of-14 field goal attempts including three 3-point baskets.
  • Buddy Hield added 23 points in the game. It was an odd game for Hield. He scored 14 points in the first half, zero points in the third quarter and nine points in the final period. In hustling Hield fashion, he also hauled in eight rebounds.
  • Willie Cauley-Stein scored 19 points, pulled down seven rebounds and added three assists in a very nice game for the center.
  • De’Aaron Fox had a 16 point game to go with his seven assists.
  • Bogdan Bogdanovic had an active night recording 14 points against the Celtics. “Bogi” shot 5-for-9 from the floor and four of those buckets were 3-pointers.

De’Aaron Fox said it is always hard to lose a game like this one

Boston Head Coach Brad Stevens on the game

“They (the bounces) weren’t going our way. We had plenty of chances late offensively that just didn’t go down too. (Jayson) Tatum made a huge play – getting foul(ed) and a huge shot. But, we had a number of other possessions that you felt pretty good about that just didn’t go down. (Marcus) Morris made big plays and everybody stepped up to get up a huge win.”

Celtics Top Performers

  • Jayson Tatum had a team-high and tied for the game-high scoring 24 points. He shot 8-for-17 from the field and hit 6-of-6 from the free throw line.
  • Al Horford put 21 points up on the board and made it a double-double game by grabbing 11 rebounds. Horford scored 17 of those points in the second half.
  • Marcus Morris added 19 points for Boston in just over 33-minutes on the floor.
  • Terry Rozier scored 16 points. He put up 10 of those points in the first half and was a real key the Celtics success on offense in the first 24-minutes.
  • Gordon Hayward added 12 points coming off the bench and dished out five assists as well.

The game’s effect on the playoff races

The loss dropped the Kings record to 32-32 for the season and keeps them mired in ninth place in the Western Conference. The Spurs and Clippers are now tied with identical 37-29 records and both hold a four-game lead over the Kings in the standings.

The Celtics record improved to 40-26 with the victory. Boston now has sole possession of sixth-place in the East with a very comfortable 6.5 game lead over seventh-place Detroit. The Celtics are 1.5 games behind fifth-place Philadelphia.

Same two teams next week

The Kings and Celtics will have a rematch next Thursday in Boston. The Celtics could well determine the Kings fate when it comes to making the NBA Playoffs.

Up next

Both teams are off until Saturday.

The Kings will play the Knicks at Madison Square Garden with a 9:00 AM Pacific time tip-off. The early start is necessary because the Rangers have a hockey game that night in the Garden.

Boston is off to Atlanta to face the Hawks to wrap up their road trip.

 

Kings steal one on the road downing the Thunder 119-116

Published on by Charlie O. MalloneeLeave a comment
KINGS 223 score
Graphic: @NBCS

by Charlie O. Mallonee

The Sacramento Kings entered the homestretch of the NBA season knowing that they needed to really improve their record versus Western Conference teams. As they began the game in Oklahoma City on Saturday night, Sacramento was 16-22 on the season versus Western Conference foes and just 5-12 playing those teams on the road.

After losing a heartbreaker to the Golden State Warriors on Thursday night, the Kings had to travel to OKC to face the Thunder who feature Russell Westbrook – “the King of the triple-double” – and the potential 2018-19 MVP Paul George who own the third spot in the Western Conference.

OKC was coming off a tough Friday night

The Thunder hosted the Utah Jazz on Friday night and had to really battle to come away with a victory. That game went into two overtimes before the Thunder finally put the Jazz away 148-147.

Paul George had to play 50-minutes. Russell Westbrook spent almost 43 minutes on the floor before fouling out in the first overtime.

The Kings needed to take advantage of the Thunder playing in the second game of a back-to-back set, especially when the first game went into double overtime.

First half perfection

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Photo: @SacramentoKings

The Kings did exactly what they needed to do in the first 24-minutes of the game. Sacramento shot 50-percent (25/50) from the floor. They struggled a bit from downtown hitting just 3-of-12 (33.3%) from long range. They dished out 16 assists while turning the ball over just six times. Those six turnovers resulted in eight Thunder points.

Buddy Hield led the SAC scoring attack with 18 points in the half. He went 8-for-12 shooting including two 3-pointers. Bogdan Bogdanovic added 12 points by going 4-for-6 from the floor. Marvin Bagley III came off the bench to score 11 points and grab six rebounds.

To no one’s surprise, Russell Westbrook led the charge for Oklahoma City who looked tired and out of sync right from the opening tip-off. Westbrook put 18 points in the book while Paul George was the next leading scorer with seven points.

The Thunder shot just 35.8-percent (19/53) from the field. The had just eight assists and turned the ball over eight times which resulted in 12 Sacramento points.

At the end of the first half, the Kings held a 63-49 lead over the Thunder.

The second half had to mean a Thunder comeback

Even if they are tired, a visiting team cannot expect to keep a talented team like the Thunder from making big runs in order to get back into the game.

The Thunder went on an 18-6 run to begin the third quarter and cut the Kings lead to just two points with 7:29 to go in the period. The Kings woke up and began to play their game. Sacramento went back up by 14 points with 2:24 remaining in the quarter.

With 36-minutes in the book, the Kings still held a 94-83 lead, but everyone had a feeling that the Thunder were not ready to give up.

The final 12:00

OKC used a combination of strong play from Dennis Schroder, Paul George, Markieff Morris and of course, Russell Westbrook to fight their way back into the game one more time. By the 6:26 mark, the Thunder had cut the Kings lead to three points.

Russell Westbrook would go on to score 15 of the 33 points the Thunder would score in the quarter. The lead changed four times in the period. OKC outscored SAC 33-25 in the final 12-minutes which is what made it such a close game.

When the final buzzer sounded, the Kings free throw shooting down the stretch allowed them to hang on and win the game 119-116.

Kings by the numbers

The win raised the Kings record to 31-28 on the season which allows them to remain in sole possession of ninth place in the Western Conference. The Clippers beat the Grizzlies so they are 1.5 games ahead in eighth place. The Lakers lost to the Pelicans (even with Anthony Davis held out of the game) which means they are now two games back of the Kings in 10th place.

Top performers:

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Bagley scores two of his 19 points Photo: @SacramentoKings
  • Buddy Hield led the SAC scoring attack with 34 points. “Buddy Buckets” hit 12-of-22 shots overall and went 3-for-5 from beyond the 3-point line. He also was very effective from the free throw line converting 7-of-9 opportunities.
  • Marvin Bagley III recorded a double-double by scoring 19 points and hauling 10 rebounds. MB35 also added three assists, three blocked shots, and two steals.
  • De’Aaron Fox also scored 19 points in the game. He also dished out nine assists, blocked three shots and added a steal.

Team performance:

  • The Kings outscored the Thunder 48-46 in the Paint
  • The Thunder won the battle of 2nd Chance Points 16-7
  • Even though they were tired, OKC scored more Fast Break Points than the Kings 25-19
  • SAC shot 45.8-percent (44/96) for the game
  • They hit 7-of-19 (36.8%) from long range
  • The Kings converted 24-of-34 (70.6%) from the free throw line. The key was the number of opportunities.
  • The team was out-rebounded 59-46 and still managed to win the game
  • Protecting the ball has become a key trait for Sacramento. They turned the ball over just nine times which resulted in 15 OKC points.
  • The Kings recorded 24 assists which denotes excellent ball movement

Checking the book for OKC

Key individuals performances:

  • Russell Westbrook was the game’s high scorer with 41 points. Westbrook connected on 15-of-30 field goal attempts and made 5-of-12 3-point shots. He also had a good night at the charity stripe converting 6-of-8 opportunities. Westbrook made it a double-double game by adding 10 rebounds.
  • Dennis Schroder came off the bench to score 14 points. The German transplant went 5-for-12 shooting.
  • Paul George also scored 14 points but he was 4-for-19 shooting for the contest. That 50-plus minutes of playing time on Friday obviously took its toll.
  • Markieff Morris put 10 points playing some key minutes late in the game for George.

Team numbers

  • The key number you need to know is the field goal shooting percentage. The Thunder shot just 38.1-percent (40/105) for the game. A team almost never wins a game in the NBA when they shoot under 40-percent. Yet, OKC came within four points of putting this game in the win column.

Up next

The Kings wrap up this 3-game road trip on Monday in Minnesota versus the Timberwolves.

The Thunder will return to action on Tuesday on the road in Denver against the Nuggets.

The Kings pull one out of the fire as they beat the Heat 102-96 on Friday night

Published on by Charlie O. MalloneeLeave a comment
Heat Jersey exchange
DWade’s last game in Sac included a jersey exchange Photo: @SacramentoKings

by Charlie O. Mallonee

Kings head coach Dave Joerger summarized the game on Friday night with one word — discombobulated! With two new players in the rotation and two key players traded to other teams, getting into sync was difficult for the Kings on Friday night.

Sacramento took their first lead of the contest with 1:21 to go in the game. Buddy Hield converted the second of two free throw opportunities to give his team a 97-96 lead. The Kings scored the final six points of the game to make the final score 102-96 to give them their 29th victory of the season.

Both teams had shooting and turnover problems

The Kings struggled early in the with their shooting. In the first period, they shot just 24.0-percent (6/25) overall and hit just 2-of-7 (28.6%) of their 3-point field goals. Sacramento also turned the ball over five times.

The Kings’ shooting percentage improved from there. Although it never was spectacular– 41.1–percent for the game. They cut down on the turnovers, finishing with 14 that resulted in 11 Miami points.

Miami’s poorest shooting streak came in the fourth quarter. The Heat shot just 25-percent (6/24) from the floor and hit just 1-of-9 (11.1%) from downtown. They turned the ball over six times in the final period that became nine Sacramento points.

The Heat shot 43.2-percent for the game and recorded 20 turnovers (22 SAC points). Those turnovers led to their demise.

Dave Joerger was happy to come away with a win

Harrison Barnes who just joined the Kings made his first start on Friday night

Barnes who was traded to the Kings from the Dallas Mavericks started in his first game in a Sacramento uniform. The veteran forward scored 12 points, grabbed seven rebounds, and dished out two assists in just over 36 minutes of playing time. Barnes went 2-for-4 from 3-point distance and was a perfect 4-for-4 at the free throw line.

Buddy Hield had an important night on the floor and in the huddles

Buddy Hield posted a game-high 23 points in the Kings winning effort. He hit 8-of-16 shots overall and went 4-for-9 from behind the 3-point arc. Hield converted 3-of-4 opportunities at the free throw line.

Other Kings contributors

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Kings celebrate the win over the Heat Photo: @SacramentoKings
  • Bogdan Bogdanovic scored 16 points, hauled in five rebounds, made four assists and added two assists.
  • De’Aaron Fox added 12 points, four steals, and three assists.
  • Harry Giles III was very productive in his 16-plus minutes of playing time. He booked 10 points, three rebounds, and one steal.
  • Coach Joerger was quick to point out that Willie Cauley-Stein had a very strong game on defense to go with his seven points, seven rebounds, and three blocked shots.
  • Newcomer Alec Burks recorded nine points in just over 14-minutes on the floor. He also had four rebounds, one assist, and one steal.

More Sacramento Team Stats

Heat final score

  • The Kings had a good night at the charity stripe as they hit 19-of-25 (76%) opportunities. Both the number of attempts and conversion percentage showed improvement.
  • The Kings were outrebounded 49-46.
  • SAC distributed 18 assists and turned the ball over 14 times.
  • The team had a total of 11 steals and five blocked shots.
  • The Heat outscored the Kings 50-48 in the paint.
  • The Kings won the battle of 2nd Chance Points 17-6.
  • Sacramento also won with speed scoring 19 Fast Break Points to 8 for Miami.

The best performances by the Heat

  • Josh Richardson scored a team-high 21 points to go with four assists and three blocked shots.
  • Hassan Whiteside was especially productive scoring in the first half and scored 17 points to with 19 rebounds in the game.
  • Dwyane Wade overcame a nasty fall in the first quarter to go on and score 15 points and dish out four assists in his final appearance in Sacramento.

Up next

The Kings (29-26) will have Saturday off – no practice. They will return to action on Sunday afternoon when the Phoenix “Tankers” — I mean Suns — come to Sacramento to wrap up the longest homestand of the season.

The Heat (25-28) have a date with Golden State Warriors on Sunday.

Clippers lead the game wire-to-wire, down the Kings 122-108 on Sunday

Published on by Charlie O. MalloneeLeave a comment
lac bogie
Photo @SacramentoKings

By Charlie O. Mallonee

Have you ever had one of those days at the office when you show up and you feel that your rhythm is just a half a beat off? For you “old schoolers,” everyone in the workplace is moving at 45 rpm while you are dragging at 33 1/3 rpm. The was the kind of day the Kings had on Sunday in Los Angeles versus the Clippers as they lost 122-108 to close out their six-game road trip.

Sacramento never held a lead in the game on Sunday. The Clippers largest lead of the game was 25 points. LAC held a 16 point advantage — 67 to 51 — at the half.

The Kings came out in the third quarter playing with improved energy and appeared to ready to make a game of it. In the fourth quarter, Sacramento twice closed within five points of the lead, but the Clippers were able to go a scoring barrage that would allow them to open a lead as large 19 points in the final period to end Kings hopes of a comeback victory.

The victory upped the Clippers’ record to 28-22 for the season while the loss drops the Kings back to .500 on the year at 25-25. The loss dropped the Kings’ record on the road trip to 2-4.

Early Start
The Kings did have to battle an early start in the “City of Angels” on Sunday. Because the Lakers also have a home game scheduled on Sunday at the Staples Center, the Clippers always have to play the early game. That game has to tip-off by 12:30 so the second game can begin by 6:00 PM.

The early start may have been a problem, but then again, this is a young team that should be able to handle time diversity easier than older veterans.

Playoff Picture at Game 50
LAC holds the eighth and final playoff berth in the Western Conference with the win on Sunday. They are 7.5 games behind the conference-leading Warriors. The Clippers have won three consecutive games and are 4-6 in their last 10 games.

Sacramento is in 10th place in the Western Conference 3.0 games behind the Clippers for the final playoff spot in the West. The Kings are now on a one game losing streak and are 5-5 over their last 10 games.

From the Game Book
Kings

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Kings starting five Photo: @SacramentoKings

Team Stats

  • SAC shot 39.8% (37/93) for the game. NBA teams do not win shooting under 40%
  • It was a horrible 3-point shooting night: 8-for-36 (22.2%)
  • 44 rebounds – 8 less than LAC
  • The Kings recorded just 18 assists. That is not their game. They average 25.8 assists per game
  • The team committed 12 turnovers that resulted in 18 points for the Clippers
  • Two positives: 12 steals and six blocked shots

Player Stats

  • De’Aaron Fox was the Kings’ leading scorer with 21 points. He shot 8-for-16 from the field with one 3-pointer
  • Bogdan Bogdanovic came off the bench to put 19 points in the book. He was a monster at the free throw line, converting 8-of-9 opportunities
  • Buddy Hield and Iman Shumpert scored 16 points each in the game. Hield went just 2-for-7 from downtown
  • Marvin Bagley III did not start, but added 14 points, hitting 5-of-10 shots in the game
  • Willie Cauley-Stein flirted with a double-double as he scored nine points and grabbed 12 rebounds

Clippers
Player Stats

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Graphic @LAClippers
  • Montrezl Harrell came off the bench to score a game-high 25 points. He shot an incredible 11-for-13 for the game
  • Tobias Harris scored 18 points, including going 4-for-4 from the charity stripe
  • Shai Gilgeous-Alexander put 17 points up on the board by going 7-for-7 from the free throw line
  • Patrick Beverly tried to post a triple-double by scoring 16 points, hauling in 10 rebounds and dishing out eight assists

Team Stats

  • The Clippers shot 47.7% (42/88) overall versus the Kings
  • LAC hit 11-of-29 (37.9%) of their 3-point field goal attempts
  • Los Angeles converted 27-of-29 opportunities from the free throw line (93.1%)
  • They dished out 35 assists and made just 19 turnovers to very close to that magic 2:1 ratio

Up Next
The Kings return to Sacramento and will host the Atlanta Hawks for the only time this season. Hawks guard Jeremy Lin has been rumored to be a trade prospect for the Kings.

The Clippers will host the Hawks on Monday night at Staples Center.

No Kawhi–no problem! Raptors beat Kings 120-105 Tuesday night

Published on by Charlie O. MalloneeLeave a comment
raptors kings 2
Photo:@Raptors

By Charlie O. Mallonee

The Toronto Raptors handed the Kings their second consecutive loss in two days as they downed Sacramento 120-105 at Scotiabank Arena on Tuesday night. This was the second game of a back-to-back set that began in Brooklyn on Monday. The Nets beat the Kings 123-94 on MLK Day.

Battle of the Tiers

The Raptors are a Tier One team. They know that they will be playing deep into the month of May and could be playing in the month of June for the Larry O’Brien Trophy. Their 36 wins are the most in the NBA to date.

The Kings are a Tier Three team that is working very hard to become a Tier Two team. Becoming a Tier Two team does not mean that they would make the playoffs this season, but it would mean they would have very few ping pong balls in the barrel for the NBA Draft Lottery.

The Kings are just four wins away from matching their win total of the 2017-18 season, and they still have 34 games to play in the regular season. Sacramento is just 1.5 games out playoff contention, even after losing on Tuesday night.

Both teams played shorthanded

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Up North Starting Five @Raptors

The Raptors played without Kawhi Leonard, who has been on an eight-day break. Leonard has now sat out 13 games this season and the Raptors are 11-2 without him in the lineup. That is what you call depth.

Toronto plays the Pacers in Indiana on Wednesday night, and it is believed that the Raptors felt it was more important to have Kawhi available for that game than to play against the Kings at home on Tuesday night.

The official reason for Leonard’s absence was “Rest-Load Management”. Some observers are beginning to ask if Leonard would be worth a long-term contract investment since he has needed to be rested 13 times in 49 games to date this season.

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Kings Starting Five @SacramentoKings

The Kings also held out three key players on Tuesday night. De’Aaron Fox and Nemanja Bjelica did not dress and did not play. That was listed as a coach’s decision. Iman Shumpert was also held out of the game for “Rest-Load Management”.

Coach Dave Joerger mentioned in his postgame comments that two of those players went through therapy on Tuesday without giving any details. It would be fair to project that Fox was one of those players since he has needed on-going attention for a shoulder he injured approximately one month ago.

The Raptors did not miss a beat without Kawhi

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Siakam jams it home Photo: @Raptors

Six Raptors scored in double figures in the win over the Kings on Tuesday night (four were starters):

  • Fred VanVleet put up 19 points to go with seven assists and seven rebounds. VanVleet has been the “designated started” when Leonard has been unavailable.
  • Kyle Lowry also scored 19 points and dished out nine dimes in 34-minutes on the floor.
  • Pascal Siakam put 18 points up on the board, shooting 8-for-14 from the floor.
  • Serge Ibaka had a double-double night, scoring 15 points and grabbing 10 rebounds.
  • CJ Miles came off the bench to score 15 points in just over 15-minutes in the game. Miles hit 4-of-5 3-point attempts.
  • Norman Powell was the last of the double-figure scorers with 11 points.

Toronto refused to let the Kings build a lead in this game. The biggest lead for SAC on the night was five points. There were seven lead changes and six ties. The Raptors’ largest lead of the game was 19 points.

The Kings had seven players score in double figures

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Graphic @SacramentoKings

Sacramento has some strong individual performances, but they could not put together the runs they needed to stay with the Raptors. Much like game on Monday in Brooklyn, the Kings kept things close in the first half then the game started slipping away in the third quarter. By the time the clock started in the fourth quarter, the game became a runaway for the home team.

Important Kings performers:

  • Marvin Bagley III made his first start of the season and he did not disappoint. MBIIIV scored a game-high 22 points and made it a double-double by adding 11 rebounds. It will not be his last start of the season.
  • Bogdan Bogdanovic put 16 points in the book to go along with nine assists and eight rebounds. “Bogi” also had three steals in the contest.
  • Buddy Hield scored a “quiet” 15 points in the game. He shot 5-for-14 overall and hit just two 3-point baskets. Hield did dish out five assists, but one has to wonder if fatigue was not a bit of a factor for “Buddy Buckets” in the game.
  • Harry Giles III had a very productive 22-plus minutes off the bench for the Kings on Tuesday night. He scored 11 points, shooting 4-for-8 from the floor.
  • Willie Cauley-Stein, Yogi Ferrell and Ben McLemore each scored 10 points in the game.

Key Numbers

  • The Kings outscored the Raptors 50-46 in the paint
  • Toronto scored 24 Second Chance Points to 12 for Sacramento
  • The Raptors scored 26 Fast Break Points to 16 for the Kings

Up Next

The Kings (24-24) will travel to Memphis on Wednesday to prepare for their game with the Grizzlies (19-28) on Friday night.

The Raptors (36-13) will face the Pacers (31-15) in Indy on Wednesday night.

Kings bounce back Saturday with a 103-101 “ugly” win over the Pistons on the road

Published on by Charlie O. MalloneeLeave a comment
pistons kings final
Graphic/Photo:@NBCSCA

By Charlie O. Mallonee

The Kings began their longest road trip of the year on Thursday night with a disappointing 114-95 loss in Charlotte. That was a game that should have gone in the win column for the Kings on this six-city road swing.

Sacramento had the table set for them on Saturday night going into the game. The Pistons were playing the second game of a back-to-back set after having played the Miami Heat on Friday night. Detroit also lost center Andre Drummond in the first quarter of the Miami game when an arm in the face caused a nasal injury that would also keep him out of the game versus the Kings.

This was a snoozer for three quarters
In fact, you could make the case that this game was a sleep inducer for 44 minutes. After 36 minutes, the Pistons held an 82-74 lead over the Kings. Detroit was controlling the pace. Blake Griffin was leading the scoring for the Pistons and Luke Kennard was sinking 3-pointers with ease.

The Kings were just hanging on in the game. They were allowing the Pistons to set a slow-down pace. SAC was shooting poorly (26.3%) from downtown, and they were allowing Detroit to outrebound them. The Kings seemed satisfied to trail the Pistons by 10 points.

At the end of three quarters, things did not look good for Sacramento fans.

Welcome to the “Buddy Buckets Show”

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In the 4th quarter, Hield was in the zone Photo:@SacramentoKings

Buddy Hield scored 20 points in the first half of the game on Saturday night. He played the entire third quarter and scored no points while shooting 0-for-3 from the field. Things looked grim indeed for the men from Sacramento.

Hield scored his first points of the second half with 3:26 to go in the game. He hit a 27-foot 3-point jump shot set up by an assist from Iman Shumpert. That cut the Detroit lead to four points.

After a Pistons miss, Hield promptly cut the Pistons lead to one after he hit another 27-foot 3-point bucket.

Hield went on to hit a 17-foot field goal, a free throw, and another 3-point basket during his 12-point blitz.

The Kings regained control of the ball with 3.4-seconds to go in the game when they grabbed the rebound off of Reggie Jackson’s missed jump shot. Sacramento called an immediate timeout in order to be able to inbound the ball in the frontcourt.

Bogdan Bogdanovic inbounded the ball to Hield. Hield, who was surrounded by three Piston defenders, lost control of the ball but was able to regain control. He turned and jumped off one leg then shot a 28-foot 3-point shot that went through the bucket at the buzzer to give the Kings the win.

Sacramento escaped the Little Caesar’s Arena with a 103-101 win over the stunned Detroit Pistons.

“(It was) my first buzzer beater in the NBA,” said Hield after the game. “It was one of those things as a kid you wanted to do and you want to cherish. I hope I have many more to come.”

Kings’ numbers on the night (24-22)

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Kings starting five in Detroit Photo: @SacramentoKings

Hield was the Kings leading scorer with 35 points. He shot 13-for-22 overall and hit 7-of-9 from behind the arc. Hield also grabbed nine rebounds (3 OR).

Dave Joerger was full of praise for Buddy after the game, but he also wanted to point out the performances of some of his other players. “De’Aaron Fox had a terrific game even though he didn’t shoot the basketball (well). Iman Shumpert had a really nice night defensively. Marvin Bagley fought like crazy. Harry (Giles) fought like crazy. Those guys are getting better. It’s a great learning experience trying to learn. They’re learning it doesn’t take losses to learn.” Joerger also added that he thought, “Willie Cauley-Stein was solid tonight.”

Other contributors:

  • De’Aaron Fox had a double-double, scoring 14 points and dishing out 10 dimes
  • Marvin Bagley III put in 14 points–many with Blake Griffin in his face
  • Willie Cauley-Stein added 12 points and six rebounds
  • Bogdanovic and Giles scored eight points apiece

SAC team stats

  • The Kings hit 40-of-89 (44.9%) of their field goals in the game
  • They put in 10-of-25 (40%) of their 3-point attempts, thanks to Hield’s fourth quarter blitz
  • SAC converted 13-of-18 (72.2%) free throw attempts
  • They were outrebounded 46-39
  • Sacramento recorded 30 assists and made just 13 turnovers, which resulted in 17 Detroit points

Detroit by the numbers (20-25)

  • Blake Griffin was the game’s leading scorer with 38 points. He was also the game’s leading complainer as he had something to say to the officials after every play. He was especially boorish to referee Natalie Sago.
  • Luke Kennard put in 19 points off the bench.
  • Zaza Pachulla hauled in 12 rebounds
  • Bruce Brown recorded a career-high 10 rebounds

Up next
The Kings left the Motor City after the game for New York City. SAC will play the Brooklyn Nets (24-23) on Monday afternoon at 12:30 PM PST. The game can be seen on NBCSCA and heard on the Kings Radio Network.

The Pistons also play on Martin Luther King Day as they will be in Washington to take on the Wizards.

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One happy “Star of the Game” Photo: @SacramentoKings

20-20 Vision: Kings envision a winning record after breaking slide against the Magic

Published on by moepeaLeave a comment

By Morris Phillips

SACRAMENTO–The Kings have struggled to hold fourth quarter leads. But it didn’t matter Monday; the Magic couldn’t hold it together in the second and third quarters in hopes of applying pressure on the Kings in the fourth.

Led by De’Aaron Fox and his 20 points, the Kings led by 28 after three quarters, and cruised to a 111-95 win at Golden 1 Center. That snapped Sacramento’s four-game losing streak, and kept them in striking distance of the eight would-be Western Conference playoff qualifiers ahead of them.

After the Lakers fell to Minnesota Sunday afternoon, the Kings’ win leaves them 1 1/2 games behind eighth-place Los Angeles. The Kings can clinch a winning first half of the season when they visit the Suns on Tuesday.

The losing streak didn’t dissolve the Kings’ improvement. Last season the Kings won just 13 of their first 40 games, on their way to finishing 12th in the West.

“I think we’re moving the ball a lot more,” said rookie William Bagley, who returned after missing 11 games due to a knee sprain. “You can see tonight how everybody was touching it. We passed up good shots for great shots. Everybody was in the rhythm of the game. It was exciting.”

The Kings got nice contributions from Harry Giles and Justin Jackson as the Sacramento reserves came up with 18 made baskets and 48 points.

Meanwhile, the Magic couldn’t score in the second quarter, the prelude to the team’s season-low 32 made baskets in the game. Orlando didn’t fare much better after the break. They were outscored by 24 points in the second and third quarters combined.

“It’s disappointing the way we’ve been playing,” said center Nikola Vucevic, who paced Orlando with 18 points, 13 rebounds. “We have to keep working and find a way to turn things around.”

The Magic are a bit of a conundrum offensively, and they were true to form on Monday. Their 3-point shooting isn’t bad–they made 13 threes against the Kings, but it isn’t reliable or plentiful enough to spread NBA defenses. The Kings elected to clog the paint, allowing the Magic some open looks from distance, but inside the arc the visitors suffered, missing 31 of their 50 shot attempts.

Orlando ranks 25th in the NBA in overall shooting at 44.6 percent. But Monday, they were noticeably worse at 36.8 percent.

“We have to find a way to where we have enough shooting on the floor all the time to create spacing. It’s a problem,” Magic coach Steve Clifford said. “There’s not a lot of room with some of the lineups out there for anybody to have a place to go.”

The Kings saw four starters score in double figures, as well as reserves Yogi Ferrell and Jackson. They hurt Orlando on the glass, outrebounding the Magic 57-46.

The Kings blew fourth quarter leads in all four games they previously lost, but they emptied the bench Monday, as Bogdan Bogdanovic was the only starter to log minutes in the fourth. Fox played just 22 minutes, and was done after he dunked with authority over Vucevic late in the third. The play drew a technical as referee Mike Callahan reacted to Fox’s emphatic ways, and probably didn’t hear exactly what the speedy guard barked at Vucevic.

“I really said something nice to him, but Mike didn’t hear it,” Fox said. “He just saw me talking and I was like, ‘Mike, you didn’t even hear what I said.'”

Close but no cigar: Lakers down the Kings 121-114 Sunday night at Staples

Published on by Charlie O. MalloneeLeave a comment

By Charlie O. Mallonee

LAL 12-30 5
Kings starting five @SacramentoKings

The Sacramento Kings goal of winning back-to-back games from the Los Angeles Lakers went up in smoke in the final minutes of the contest on Sunday night when the Lakers went on a 12-0 run. The Lakers, even without LeBron, went on to defeat the Kings 121-114 in the final game of 2018 for Sacramento.

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope recorded a season-high 26 points, while Josh Hart added 22 points. Brandon Ingram joined the party by putting in 21 points, including seven points in the final run that decided the game.

The Kings lost for the first time this season when they held the lead going into the fourth quarter.

This was a very entertaining game

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Bogdanovic to the hoop @SacramentoKings

This was the kind of game the NBA would like to have every night:

  • There were 18 lead changes
  • The game was tied 13 times
  • The Kings outscored the Lakers 58-52 in the paint — it was a battle
  • The Lakers won the war of second chance points 20-9
  • The Kings put up 27 fastbreak points to 12 for the Lakers
  • The biggest lead of the game: Kings 11, Lakers 9

The Kings were led by their backcourt in the game

  • De’Aaron Fox tied for high-scorer in the game with 26 points and he dished out seven assists. Fox grabbed four rebounds and made three steals.
  • Buddy Hield scored 21 points in the game, shooting 7-for-17 in the contest. He hit 4-of-11 from behind the arc.
  • Bogdan Bogdanovic also put up 21 points by shooting 9-for-18 from the floor (3-for-6 from 3-point land).

Other Kings contributors

  • Willie Cauley-Stein recorded a double-double, scoring 11 points and hauling in 12 rebounds
  • Iman Shumpert scored eight points, but did not have a great shooting night
  • Yogi Ferrell also put up eight points in just over eight minutes of playing time

Team Stats

Kings

  • The team shot 48.4-percent (46-for-95) from the field
  • They went 13-for-34 (38.2%) from 3-point land
  • They were outrebounded 50-45
  • Sacramento made 14 turnovers that resulted in 16 Laker points

Lakers

  • LAL shot 46-for-95 from the floor (48.0-percent)
  • The Lakers hit 15-of-44 3-point shots (34.1%)
  • LA recorded 30 assists versus the Kings
  • Caldwell-Pope’s 26 points were a career-high

Up Next

The Kings (19-17) will host the Portland on New Year’s Day at the Golden 1 Center.

The Lakers (21-16) will welcome the Thunder to the Staples Center on January 2nd.