Tag: DeMarcus Cousins

Kings defeat Lakers, 107-100, in Sin City

Published on by Michael MartinezLeave a comment

by Michael Martinez

picture credit Google Images

SACRAMENTO- Lady luck was on the Kings side tonight as they continued to show excellent team offense with 7 players in double figures while adding 26 teams assists, even with All Star Center Demarcus Cousins sitting out. The Kings’ passing and good shooting allowed them to hold a lead throughout the game. The Kings beat the Lakers, 107-100, at MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.

The Kings started off slow in the 1st quarter as the Lakers lead for almost the first half of the quarter. However, Rajon Rondo once again stepped up for his team and showed that he is not only a passer. Rondo scored the ball well and the point guard known for horrible shooting, shot 3 for 5 from the field in the 1st quarter, scoring 7 points and adding 3 assists. He finished the game with 11 points, shooting 5 for 9 from the field, 1 for 4 behind the 3 point line, and added 6 assists in 25 minutes of play. Marco Belinelli also did a good job of scoring the ball for the Kings with 5 points, shooting 2 for 3 from the field. The free agent signings helped give the Kings a 31-27 lead heading into the 2nd quarter.

Again the Kings 2nd quarter woes continued, giving up a 5-0 run to start the quarter. The defense was lackluster until Eric Moreland came up big defensively with a couple blocks and added 6 points on the offensive end. Belinelli began to heat up again as he hit a couple of threes and Darren Collison continued that charge. The Kings got out on an 8-0 run until Lou Williams hit a pair of free throws. To finish out the half, Kosta Koufos, who replaced Cousins in the starting line up, tipped in a buzzer beater to give the Kings a 63-51 lead. At the end of the half, the Kings shot the ball 53.5% from the field with 15 assists.

To begin the 3rd quarter, Rondo made the first bucket of the half off an assist from Koufos. From there the Kings continued to push the ball around the perimeter while also getting the ball inside. Rondo assisted Rudy Gay who filled the lane in really well to give the Kings a 16 point lead. Gay finished the game with a double-double, 10 points with 11 rebounds in 24 minutes of play, although he shot 3 for 12 from the field. But the Kings defense struggled once more giving up a 7-0 run to the Lakers. Ben McLemore, who finished with 11 points on 3 for 9 shooting from the field, 2 for 5 behind the arc in 25 minutes, made a big 3 pointer to stop the Lakers in their tracks. Nonetheless, the offense for the Kings kept their lead to double digits. The big story of the 3rd quarter was Kobe Bryant leaving the quarter with a left leg contusion and sitting out for the rest of the game. Bryant finished with 10 points, going 4 for 12 from the field and his fadeaway jumper looked good early in the game. And Belinelli, the Kings top scorer of the night, once again shot the ball well to finish the first 3 quarters with 17 points, going 5 for 9 from the field and 3 for 5 on 3 point field goals in 23 minutes of play, shooting 50% from the field. The Kings lead to end the 3rd was 88-74, and their field goal percentage was 51.7%, with a 3 point field goal percentage of 40%.

As the 4th quarter got underway, Eric Moreland came up big with 2 more blocks and showed Coach Karl he is a huge asset on defense. The Kings held a lead throughout the 4th quarter, but let the Lakers make the game a little closer. Collison once again came up big and did a great job of scoring the ball while distributing to his teammates. Towards the end of the 4th, the reserves came in and D’Angelo Russell tried to make it interesting scoring 6 points in the final minute.

Collison finished the game with 16 points, 2 rebounds and 7 assists. The final Kings player in double figures was Moreland who scored 10 points in 15 minutes going 5 for 6 from the field. Moreland also tallied 4 blocks with 5 rebounds and revitalized the Kings effortless defense.

The overall team effort, ultimately leading to a win, now puts the Kings at 4-1 during the 2015 preseason. The Kings’ offense looks sharp as they continue to swing the ball and push it inside or find the open man, finishing with a 45.6% field goal percentage with 38 points in the paint. If the Kings can get their defense on the right path and pass the ball as well as they have this entire preseason, the 2015-16 regular season could be an exciting one in the City of Trees.

Kings down the Blazers 94-90

Published on by Charlie O. MalloneeLeave a comment

Kings vsw Blazers

by Charlie O. Mallonee

Sacramento – The Sacramento Kings defeated the Portland Trail Blazers 94-90 at Sleep Train Arena on Saturday night. It was the Kings second victory over the Blazers in a week.

The Kings were led by guard Darren Collison who scored 18 points in 32-plus minutes of playing time. Collison also pulled down seven rebounds and dished out three assists.

Portland’s CJ McCollum led all scorers with 30 points. McCollum was 5-for-10 from 3-point land and 11-for-20 from the field. He scored 19 of his points in the third to quarter to keep the Blazers in the game.

The Kings won the game by outscoring Portland in the paint 38-28 and by scoring 25 points off the fast break to just 13 for the Blazers.

Kings

  1. The Kings started Rajon Rondo and Darren Collison in the backcourt for the first time in the preseason. According to George Karl it was the first time the pair had played together because so much their time has been spent in team scrimmages. Rondo and Collison combined for a total of 22 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists.
  2. DeMarcus Cousins scored 18 points, grabbed 7 rebounds, had three assists and two steals in 23-plus minutes of playing time. He also picked up his technical foul of the preseason in the third quarter arguing over an out of bounds call. Cousins earned the “T” by not stopping after his first appeal to the referee.
  3. Willie Cauley-Stein had a good game scoring seven points and pulling down nine rebounds. Cauley-Stein is a presence on defense but is still a work in progress on offense.
  4. The Kings shot .408 (31-for-76) from the field. They were 7-for-22 (.318) from beyond the 3-point line.
  5. Rudy Gay did not dress for the game. He is not injured. Karl was just giving Gay the night off to get some playing time. for other players in this contest,

Trail Blazers

  1. Portland played the game without their very talented guard Damian Lillard. Lillard is nursing a left ankle injury.
  2. The Trail Blazers had four players who did not dress for the game. All four players were out due to injury.
  3. Portland shot .415 from the field and .353 (12-for-34) from beyond the 3-point arc.
  4. The Blazers out-rebounded the Kings 50 to 41.
  5. Portland scored 25 points off turnovers to just nine points off turnovers for the Kings.

What they said after the game

“We’re ahead of the curve right now. We have a long way to go, but we’ve done some very good things in every game we’ve played. We need to continue to get better.” said Kings head coach George Karl.

Kings center Kosta Koufous said, “We’ve got some things we’re going work on defensively but everybody is playing hard and that’s the biggest thing. As long as everybody’s playing with 100% effort, that’s all you can ask for.”

“I felt that we could have played better obviously. Foul trouble kind of got us close behind the eight ball early and we never really recovered. We had twice as many fouls called against (us) and it was just tough to bounce back from that,” explained Portland head coach Terry Stotts.

Leading scorer CJ McCollum told reporters, “I felt comfortable even in the first game when some shots didn’t drop really. Just like tonight, I missed my first few shots. The biggest thing is to just stay confident, try to get to my spots.”

Up next

The Kings will play again on Tuesday when they will face the Los Angeles Lakers in Las Vegas.

The Trail Blazers play the Jazz in Utah on Monday night.

Suns Reserves Outshine Kings

Published on by Matthew HarringtonLeave a comment

By Matthew T.F. Harrington

The Sacramento Kings fell to the Phoenix Suns 102-98 Wednesday night at the Talking Stick Resort Arena for their first loss of the preseason.

Rudy Gay led the team with 27 points, DeMarcus Cousins had a team-high 8 rebounds and 15 points and Marco Belinelli chipped in 12 points off the bench. Point guard Rajon Rondo, signed in the offseason, scored 5 points on 2 field goals over 5 attempts and added 5 assists. Darren Collison also dropped a quintet of dimes to match the Kings game-high.

In his second season with the Suns, TJ Warren opened his preseason with a hot start. The former North Carolina State forward scored 17 points off the bench. NBA journeyman Jon Leuer also scored 17 points off the pine, picking up a double-double with his game-high 13 rebounds. Guards Brandon Knight (16) and Eric Bledsoe (13) were the only two starters to break double figures in scoring.

The two teams traded leads 11 times, with 10 lead changes coming in the first three quarters. Sacramento held a 3-point lead, 79-76, but the Suns outscored them 26-19 down the stretch to put the Kings preseason record at 1-1 following Monday’s 109-105 overtime win in Portland.

The two teams shot the ball at a 40% clip, but the Suns managed to haul in 55 rebounds to the Kings 46 as the difference maker. The Kings were also outrebounded 52-50 on Monday.

Sacramento gets its first dose of home cooking during the exhibition slate tomorrow night. The Kings return to the Sleep Train Arena to face perennial Western Conference powers San Antonio in the second half of a back-to-back.

Sacramento Kings podcast with Jeff Hall: Team built around Cousins Kings hopes this is their season and beyond

Published on by lleonardbwLeave a comment

by Jeff Hall

photo credit google images Kings GM Vlade Divac

SACRAMENTO–The Kings went through three coaches last season Mike Malone, Ty Corbin and George Karl this year if all goes to plan Karl should be their man. The Kings are looking to make a big statement this year. Also the Kings center DeMarcus Cousins and we were just talking about it minute ago that Cousins isn’t the biggest problem on the team.

It’s not going to be about how the management runs this team it’s going to be about those guys down on the floor and the Kings will see how it goes and how Cousins handles it. He’s got a goal going into this year and he’s going to accomplish his goals whatever goal he makes.

The Kings Rudy Gay will be back at small forward this season and with him teaming up with Cousins that should be a helpful force and after the season that he had last year it should be interesting to see what he does this season. Cousins will be Cousins and Gay will be Gay in what they bring to the game this season.

This could be the season for the Kings and Karl would love to have this season to be the one where the club is headed for a shot at post season and the organization is looking forward to getting into the new arena in October 2016. The Kings general manager Vlade Divac is coming into his second season as Kings general manager and he’s not playing over his head.

Divac was involved in the draft pick as he signed Willie Cauley-Stein and that was Divac’s deal and not former Kings GM Pete D’Alessandro. Divac is not coming into something that he didn’t develop and he’s been part of the signing of Kings guard and forward Marco Belinelli. Divac is providing a new scene especially with the new building Golden 1 Arena going into next season. This is not the old situation for the Kings but just the beginning of new era.

Jeff Hall covers the Sacramento Kings at http://www.sportsradioservice.com listen to the podcast

Should the Kings trade DeMarcus Cousins?

Published on by Charlie O. MalloneeLeave a comment
sbnation.com
sbnation.com

by Charlie O. Mallonee

Should the Kings trade DeMarcus Cousins?

The simple answer is yes. The reasons why they should trade the talented All-Star center are much more complicated, but there is no doubt that the Kings should move Cousins now.

The first reason why the Kings should trade Cousins is that he does not want to be in Sacramento anymore. James Herbert from CBS Sports reports that Cousins requested a trade a month ago. That means he took some time after the season ended to evaluate the year and his 30 games under head coach George Karl. It appears Cousin’s conclusion is that things are not going to work out in Sacramento.

Who can blame him? In his five years in Sacramento, Cousins has played for two ownership groups, three general managers and five coaches. Until the current ownership group took over, there was great doubt about the Kings remaining in Sacramento. The circumstances of Cousins tenure have been the very definition of instability.

Adjusting to the NBA life is taxing on any young player. Playing in a completely dysfunctional atmosphere might be a burden that is too much to bear for the 25-year Cousins.

According to Marc Stein of ESPN, the Los Angeles Lakers want Cousins and are trying to negotiate a deal that would include the Orlando Magic along with the Kings. Vlade Divac, vice-president of basketball and franchise operations, immediately denied that the Kings were giving any consideration to trading their All-Star center.

Now, Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports is reporting that George Karl wants to trade Cousins. Per the reports, Karl does not feel that he and Cousins meshed during the 30 game honeymoon period at the end of the season. Karl said some nice things about Cousins during the season. The head coach has not had anything to say about his center lately.

If the situation was not confusing enough, Chris Broussard of ESPN is reporting that Kings majority owner Vivek Ranadive is blocking any move that would send Cousins to another team.

Let’s deal with the Ranadive story first. It was Ranadive who reportedly disliked Michael Malone’s style of play and pushed for him to be fired. Cousins had built a strong relationship with Malone and was responding to him as a leader. Cousins’ attitude changed almost immediately following the firing of Malone, and the change was not for the better.

Ranadive has made other unusual personnel decisions since becoming the owner. He hired Malone as coach before he hired a general manager. Ranadive then hired Pete D’Alessandro as general manager. According to multiple reports, Malone and D’Alessandro were at odds over basketball philosophy and “style of play” from the very beginning of their working relationship.

Ranadive may be a genius when it comes to running high tech companies, but his decision making process as a NBA owner has been dubious. It has become very clear that Ranadive needs to let his experts – Divac and Karl – do their jobs and allow them to make the tough decisions that will build a solid foundation for the Kings in years to come.

Karl – at the request of Ranadive – is trying to install a fast moving, positionless style of play. Cousins appears to more comfortable in a hard hitting defensive game with a set offense style of play. Frankly, Cousins would be more accepting of a change of playing style if he was happy in his situation.

Let’s be clear. Cousins is not happy being in a unstable situation that has been in a rebuilding mode for all of his five seasons with the team. The chances of getting him to be happy with the current changes are “slim-to-none”.

Cousins is an All-Star now. He is a premier player in “the association”. Cousins knows he can begin to dictate the way he wants his career to go from this point forward. Apparently, Cousins wants his career to continue in some other locale.

Why should the KIngs make a move now? Because Cousins value is as high as it has ever been. He is an All-Star and a member the USA National team. By all appearances, he is healthy. Cousins stock may never be higher.

The Kings do not want to have to move him after a season of turmoil under a coach Cousins does not want play for and after his attitude becomes a major problem. If the Kings wait until the situation really deteriorates, they will only get fifty-cents on the dollar for an incredibly talented basketball asset. Sacramento cannot allow themselves to squander their future by trying to make an unhappy player, happy again.

What should the Kings ask for in return for Cousins? I will leave the details up to Vlade Divac, George Karl and the basketball operations staff of the Kings. By the way, Vivek Ranadive should get out of the way and do the same.

Quoting CSN Kings Insider Bill Herenda, “The NBA is a fickle business and chemistry is extremely fragile.” The current situation with the Sacramento Kings certainly proves that statement to be true.

New Orleans squeaks past the Kings 101-95

Published on by Charlie O. MalloneeLeave a comment
NBA.com
NBA.com

by Charlie O. Mallonee

The New Orleans Pelicans defeated the Sacramento Kings 101 to 95 on Friday night in Sacramento. The game had playoff implications for the Pelicans who came into the contest just one and a half games behind Oklahoma City for the eighth and final playoff berth in the Western Conference. The Pelicans knew early in the game that Oklahoma City had lost to Memphis. The win cut the Thunder’s lead to just one-half game in the race for the playoffs.

The loss negated another incredible triple-double performance by the Kings DeMarcus Cousins. Cousins finished with 24 points, 20 rebounds and 13 assists. Cousins had a triple-double on Tuesday night in Houston.

The Pelicans led the Kings 56-42 at halftime and had led Sacramento by 14 points several times in the half. New Orleans increased their lead to 18 points with 6:21 to go in the third quarter. Just when it looked like all was lost, the Kings came back to life.

Sacramento went on a 16-0 run and cut the New Orleans lead to just two points with 1:27 remaining in the quarter. The Kings were led by DeMarcus Cousins’ eight points, seven rebounds and four assists. Ray McCallum scored 10 points connecting on four of seven shots from the floor including two 3-pointers. Sacramento trailed New Orleans by just three points, 74-71 after three quarters.

In the final period, the Pelicans twice opened up a 10 point lead. The Kings continued to chip away at that lead and closed it to a two point game on a Omri Casspi slam dunk off a feed from Cousins with 4:17 to go in the game.

New Orleans went up by seven points but the Kings cut the lead to three (96-93) off a Derek Williams dunk with an assist from Cousins with 1:27 remaining. The Pelicans outscored the Kings 5-2 down the stretch and won the game 101-95.

The Kings shot 47.4-percent (37 for 78) from the field. They hit six of 17 (35.3-percent) 3-point attempts. One of Sacramento’s downfalls in the game was its free throw shooting. The Kings were just 15 for 25 (60.0-percent) from the stripe which is well below their season average of 77.5-percent per game.

“I think every game I see, I see progress,” said Kings Head Coach George Karl. “Tonight, because of how we played defensively, we had every opportunity, even after a rough start. We gave up the three-ball in the start, but then we were better defensively. In the fourth quarter, we missed open shots. Those could’ve gone in and gotten us over the hump. I thought New Orleans showed desperation. The have to win some games on the road and they knew that this was one of those games that they had to go and get if they wanted to get ahead of Oklahoma City.”

Sacramento recorded 21 assists and had just 10 turnovers (13 points) for a very respectable 2:1 ratio. The Kings were outrebounded 50-38.

Omri Casspi put up 17 points with a seven for nine shooting night. Ben McLemore also had a 17 point game. Ray McCallum finished with 14 points while Derrick Williams added 10 points in the game.

Sacramento allowed allowed New Orleans to shoot 48.3-percent (14 for 29) from beyond the 3-point arc. Most of the 3-point damage came in the first half.

The Pelicans were led in scoring by Eric Gordon’s 21 points. Gordon hit six field goals, four of which were 3-pointers. Former King Tyreke Evans just missed a triple-double putting up 19 points, grabbing 12 rebounds and dishing out nine assists. Anthony Davis finished with 20 points.

The Kings will return to action on Sunday when they will host the Utah Jazz.

The Pelicans will play the Trail Blazers in Portland on Saturday night.

Live to India

The Kings – Pelicans game was broadcast live to India in hopes that the first player of Indian descent to be included on a NBA roster – Sim Bhullar – might make an appearance in the contest. Because the game was so close up to the end, Bhullar did not play.

The game tipped off at 7:40 AM on Saturday morning in Mumbai.

Kings Extend Win Streak, Beat Phoenix 108-99.

Published on by swhelchLeave a comment

By Shawn Whelchel

With both a balanced scoring attack and, perhaps more importantly, a solid defensive outing, the Sacramento Kings earned their fourth straight victory on Wednesday night as they beat the Phoenix Suns 108-99 at US AirwaysCenter.

Sacramento had seven players score in double figures, including all five starters, while leading the Suns throughout the entire game. DeMarcus Cousins led the charge for Sacramento with a team-high 24 points and 11 rebounds with an efficient 11-of-19 shooting from the field.

But while the Kings balanced scoring efficiency is sure to excite some fans, tonight’s battle was won on the other side of the ball, as Sacramento held the usually hot-shooting Suns to under 100 points. Sacramento, who holds the second worst defensive ranking in the NBA by allowing 105.1 points per game, held Phoenix to just 43.7 percent shooting on the night, including a measly 24 percent from beyond the arc.

The game wasn’t a cake-walk for Sacramento though, as a late Phoenix surge brought the Suns to within striking range in the fourth quarter after pulling to within five points with just under five minutes left in the game. But shooting guard Ben McLemore scored six of his 12 points on two consecutive three pointers to extend the cushion for Sacramento heading into the final minutes.

Although the fourth quarter would be the only time that Phoenix would outscore the Kings, the comeback attempt was too little and too late, as Sacramento would hold on for their fourth straight win while advancing their road record to 10-24.

Not only does Wednesday night’s victory improve an abysmal road victory, but it gives the Kings a semi-respectable 8-11 record since George Karl took command of the club. The victory also secured their first season series win over Phoenix since the 2010-11 season.

The Suns will look to continue their hot-streak against the New Orleans Pelicans on Friday.

Deja Vu in D.C., Kings lose 113-97

Published on by Charlie O. MalloneeLeave a comment
NBA.com
NBA.com

by Charlie O. Mallonee

Stop me if you have heard this one before. The Kings start the game strong. Sacramento has an unbelieveable second quarter and goes into halftime with a big lead. Then, the Kings falter in the third quarter allowing their opponents to get back into the game. The other team has a strong fourth quarter and the Kings lose the game.

That is a summary of the Kings – Wizards game on Saturday night in D.C. Sacramento lost to the Wizards 113-97.

The Kings went into the game short-handed. Rudy Gay had to sit out the contest due to a left patellar tendon strain. When the Kings are without one of their big two, things usually do not go well for the team.

Sacramento played a solid first quarter as they outscored Washington 25-21 in the quarter.

The Kings played dominant basketball in the second quarter. As a team, they shot 75.0-percent. DeMarcus Cousins scored 13 points to go with the eight put up by Ray McCallum. The Kings bench scored 18 points in the period. Sacramento went to their locker room with a 64-46 halftime lead. It appeared that the Kings were ready to close out their eight game road trip on a high note.

A different Kings team returned to the floor for the third quarter. Their outside shooting went away as they shot just six for 16 from the field. Sacramento could score only 21 points in the quarter. The Wizards came out on fire. John Wall shot four for six with three 3-pointers to score 15 in the period. Paul Pierce was a perfect five for five shooting, including two 3-point baskets, and put up 12 points. The Kings, who led by 21 early in the third, were now holding on to a one point lead, 85-84 after three quarters.

As the fourth quarter began, the Wizards had never held the lead in the game. That changed with 10:11 to go in the game when Ramon Sessions (yes, the former King) hit a 25 foot 3-point shot to give Washington an 89-88 lead. The Wizards would never trail again and went on to win the game.

The loss dropped the Kings record on the eight game road trip to 2-6.

The Wizards are now 38-28 on the season, and they now have a three game winning streak.

DeMarcus Cousins scored 30 points in 29 minutes on the floor. Cousins fouled out with 5:34 to go in the game. It was the 10th time he had fouled out of a game this season. Cousins also picked up a technical foul.

Derrick Williams and Ray McCallum scored 15 points apiece. They were the only other Kings in double figures. McCallum added six assists.

John Wall led the Wizards scoring with 31 points. Paul Pierce added 17. Washington had six players score in double figures. The Wizards hit a season high 13 3-pointers in the game,

The eight game, 12 day road trip is over for the Kings. They will have Sunday off, and then, the Kings host the Atlanta Hawks on Monday night at Sleep Train Arena. The fun never ends.

Kings implode in Philly

Published on by Charlie O. MalloneeLeave a comment
NBA.com
NBA.com

by Charlie O. Mallonee

The Sacramento Kings had an 18 point lead over the Philadelphia 76ers with 8:46 to go in the third quarter of the game on Friday night. From that point on the Sixers started chipping away at the Sacramento lead until they took the lead 81-80 late in the third period. Philadelphia went on to defeat the Kings 114-107 in what is a stunning loss for the Kings.

When we looked at the Kings daunting eight game road trip and tried to project game outcomes, virtually every writer and commentator had Kings winning in Philly. Why not? The Sixers have consistently been one of the worst teams in the “the Association” all season. Some have even accused the Sixers of tanking because their performance has been so bad. So, predicting a Kings win versus the Sixers was a no brainer.

Then, you add to the mix the Kings big road win over the Charlotte Hornets on Wednesday night. Sacramento beat a team that is fighting for a playoff berth. That victory should have given the Kings the confidence and motivation to pick up their third win of the road trip in Philadelphia, but as the man said, “That’s why they play the game.”

The Sixers not only overcame an 18 point deficit but opened up a 13 point lead of their own in the fourth quarter. The Kings fought back and cut the Sixers lead to just three points with 1:15 left to play in the game.

The Sixers responded again to open up another solid lead. An alley-oop pass from Ish Smith to Nerlens Noel that resulted in an easy dunk with 41.9 seconds left in the game gave Philly 108-103 lead. The Sixers added six points off of free throws to seal the deal.

DeMarcus Cousins did everything he could do to lead his team to a win. Cousins scored 39 points in 40 minutes of playing time and added a career high 24 rebounds to his stats for the game. It was Cousins’ 40th double-double of the season.

Rudy Gay had a 24 point game while Derrick Williams added 15 of his own. Cousins, Gay and Williams were the only Kings to score in double figures. The Sacramento bench produced a meager 25 points.

Sacramento shot just 40.2-percent (35 for 87) from the floor. They were just four for 14 (28.6-percent) from 3-point range. The Kings went to free throw line 17 times more than the Sixers scoring 33 points from the line but it was not enough to bring them a victory.

The Kings turned the ball over 17 times and those miscues resulted in 27 Philadelphia points.

Robert Covington led the Sixers scoring with 24 points while Nerlens Noel put up 16. Jerami Grant scored 13. Mbah a Moute, Sampson, Thompson and Smith all scored 10 points apiece. The Sixers bench scored 47 points in the game.

Philadelphia shot 47.4-percent from the field (45 for 95).

Both teams are back in action on Saturday night. The Kings (22-41) have to play the Wizards in D.C. Washington is on a two game winning streak.

The Sixers (15-50) will host the Brooklyn Nets in a battle of non-playoff teams.

The Heat burn the Kings in OT 114-109

Published on by Charlie O. MalloneeLeave a comment
NBA.com
NBA.com

by Charlie O. Mallonee

The Sacramento Kings were done in by the zone defense, a rookie guard and a Jekyll and Hyde performance on Saturday night as they lost to the Miami Heat 114-109 in OT.

The Kings started the game with great optimism knowing they would face the Miami Heat without Luol Deng, Goran Dragic, Hassan Whiteside and Chris Bosh. It appeared that containing Dwayne Wade would be enough to lead Sacramento to a victory on the road. The Kings had not won in Miami since November 2001.

Sacramento played a strong first half and took a 14 point lead into the locker room at halftime. The Kings shot 56.4-percent from the field. They were 8 for 12 (66.7-percent) from 3-point range. Rudy Gay scored 18 first half points and Ben McLemore added 17 of his own to lead the Kings to the 61-47 halftime lead. All the Kings had to do was show up and play the same way in the second half in order to escape with a victory.

The Heat came out in the second half and changed the dynamics by utilizing a zone defense to tie up Cousins and Gay. The Kings could have eliminated the zone by hitting outside shots, but their shooting touch left them as they went just 13 for 37 (35.1-percent) from the floor in the second half. They were 1 for 11 from beyond the 3-point arc. The Kings turned the ball over 11 times in the second half.

The Miami bench scored 29 points in the second half. The Kings bench scored 8 points in the half.

These factors combined to allow the Heat to close up the gap and ultimately to have the game end in a 96-96 tie at the end of regulation.

In overtime, Dwayne Wade took over for the Heat and scored 10 points. Tyler Johnson added five points including a back-breaking 3-point bucket late in OT. DeMarcus Cousins fouled out of the game with 1:41 left to go in the extra period. Veteran leadership from Wade, the magic of the rookie Johnson and the lack of their big man on the floor led to the Sacramento loss.

“The zone will show we need some zone work. In the same sense, I think our turnovers … I had one thought – our sloppy offensive decisions creates a lot points for the other team. Tonight, we gave them the free throw line. We gave them turnovers. They got to the rim way too often,” said Kings Head Coach George Karl after the game.

Sacramento turned the ball over 22 times and those miscues resulted in 27 points for the Heat. Miami scored 54 points in the paint.

The other area that killed the Kings on Saturday night was bench production. The Miami bench scored 59 points compared to just 22 bench points for the Kings. The Kings starting five tried to carry the load, but in the NBA, your second unit has to produce in order to win games.

Rudy Gay and DeMarcus Cousins led the Kings in scoring with 27 points apiece. Cousins posted a double-double by grabbing 17 rebounds. Ben McLemore scored 20 in the game.

Dwayne Wade led the Heat with 28 points. Miami capitalized on the outstanding performance of their rookie guard Tyler Johnson out of Fresno State who scored 24. Johnson was seven of 12 from the field, hit three of five 3-point attempts and went to the free throw line 10 times. Johnson also had six assists. Not bad for a player who spent 15 games in the D-League before being called back to the big club.

The Kings are now 3-6 in George Karl’s 30 game mini-season plan. They are 1-3 on the road trip with four games yet to be played.

The Kings have Sunday off, and then, they must play the Eastern Conference leading Atlanta Hawks on Monday night in Atlanta.